A week or so ago I was talking about the discovery of our Costa Rica Tarazzu coffee, today I want to bring your attention to one of the most exotic coffees that we stock, namely Monsooned Malabar.
It's not an obvious choice for a great coffee as when I first tasted this coffee I likened its taste more to a Uganda screen 18 robusta coffee, with its earthy taste, rather than a 100% arabica coffee. Where did this unusual taste come from, and why would someone want to process coffee in such a way that it strays some way from our traditional perception of a great coffee taste?
Well as with all things great, this coffee has a bit of history. When it was originally shipped from India to Europe there was no Suez canal. This meant that ships had to travel all the way round the most southern tip of Africa before making the arduous journey back up to Europe. During this time unbeknown to the Europeans the taste of the coffee was changed dramatically, the beans were bleached and swollen by the sea air, giving the coffee its unique flavour. This taste was highly prized.
However when the Suez canal was built the journey time of the boats was reduced considerably and Europeans detected a change in the taste of this coffee.
Whereas traditionally raw coffee has a moisture content of 12% to 13%, Monsooned Malabar coffee is down around 10% which means that it feels a lot lighter, and has a much paler look to the eye than other raw coffees from other regions. This is what gives it its unique taste, as it roasts completely differently to other coffees.
The problem post Suez was how to retrieve this flavour. The solution was a simple one and is now all carried out at origin. Once the coffee has been depupled and dried it is left to stand in sheds. The sides of the sheds are opened and moist monsoon winds circulate around the coffee making it swell in size and take on the famous mellowed and slightly musty flavour.
That all sounds pretty fantastic, but what do we think of the coffee. I compare it a bit like people's reaction to Marmite, you either love it or hate it.
Anna our wonderful Polish lady who runs my shop, and who has tasted all of our coffees thinks this one is the best, and she's certainly persuaded a lot of our customers to think the same way.
Although only medium roasted its unique characteristics of great body and gentle acidity mean that it makes an excellent base for a Cappuccino. You must try one in our shop one day!
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