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The Story:
The infamous Monsooned Malabar from India
is one of the most unusual coffees in the world. After it
has been harvested and processed, it is stored from a few
months to up to 2 years in open-sided warehouses. There,
it is exposed to the moisture-laden winds of the monsoon
season. The moisture swells and yellows the beans, imparting
a heavy, syrupy sweetness to the taste, as well as fattening
the body and reducing the acidity. It is a bit like a Pinot
Noir wine in that it is a more complex process that can
result in an exquisite coffee if done well, or a musty,
hard coffee if done wrong.
India is 8th in world production of coffee.
This coffee comes from the Silver Cloud Estate deep in southern
Indian, nestled on the slopes of the Nilginis Mountains.
The farmers there believe in painstaking perfection--from
hand picking only the sweetest red cherries to careful control
of the delicate monsooning process. This process invokes
the memory of an age when Indian coffee was stored deep
in the cargo holds of ships bound for Great Britain. Today,
this aging is achieved with help from the moist coastal
winds of the daily monsoon. The meticulously prepared dry
coffee slowly transforms, taking in the smooth earthy texture
of the environment. It is this process that makes Monsooned
Malabar so special. This is undeniably one of the most unique
and eye-opening coffees to be found.
Allowed to sweat for up to two years in special
warehouses, this Monsooned Malabar is for the most avid
of coffee enthusiasts. This unique aging process develops
heavy oak, cedar and leather tones that invoke the memory
of the bygone era of the majestic clipper ship. A very mild
body and acidity helps to draw out a playful grapefruit
note in the finish, which is a surprising reward for having
ventured on such a journey as Monsooned Malabar.
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