India | Monsoon Malabar | Natural AA

This coffee’s roasted in our espresso style — but that doesn’t mean you need to brew it as espresso. You can make it however you like — espresso, filter, moka pot, AeroPress or whatever you enjoy. We roast it a touch darker than we would a filter roast to caramelise the sugars and bring out smooth chocolatey and nutty flavours that cut beautifully through milk.

When you add milk the natural sweetness, fat and proteins tend to soften acidity and highlight caramelised flavours. That’s why lighter filter roasts can sometimes taste a bit sharp or sour with milk — they’re simply not built for it. Espresso roasts being more developed balance this out. The deeper caramelisation creates toffee and cocoa notes that blend harmoniously with milk’s creaminess while a hint of gentle bitterness adds that satisfying ‘coffee punch’ in your flat white or cappuccino.

If you prefer your coffee black this roast will still give you a full-bodied rich cup with plenty of depth and sweetness. For a lighter fruitier experience you might enjoy exploring our filter range instead.

Origin and Sourcing

Varietal: Mixed Variety

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uses a variety of different beans to make a unique flavour.

Processing Method: Natural

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The natural process involves drying whole coffee cherries under the sun, allowing the beans to absorb flavors from the fruit as they dry. This results in a coffee with a heavy body, fruity sweetness, and complex flavors. It’s commonly practiced in Ethiopia and Brazil, where the climate is conducive to sun-drying.

Producer: Estates and smallholders

Region / Area: Karnataka, Kerala, processing completed on Malabar Coast

Altitude: 1000–1900 MASL

Harvest Period: December – March 2025

Sourcing Partner: Coficom

Coffee Storage Climate Controlled

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This green coffee is stored at 23°C in a climate-controlled room, which is a step up from standard warehouse storage, as the ambient temperature does not fluctuate as much

Roast Details

Roast Style Espresso

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Filter roasts are lighter with a shorter development time, designed to highlight clarity, acidity, and fruit-driven complexity — perfect for black coffee and filter methods. These roasts can also be used for espresso, especially if you enjoy brighter, more vibrant shots. Try longer brew ratios or turbo shots to tame acidity and bring out sweetness. Espresso roasts, on the other hand, are developed further to encourage deeper caramelization and Maillard reactions, producing richer, chocolatey, and nutty flavours that shine in milk and offer a fuller-bodied espresso. We don't usually roast omni (one roast for all brew methods) — in our experience, it tends to be a compromise that's average at both. But occasionally, for larger lots or versatile blends, we may do an omni roast to suit both black and milk drinkers.

Roast Level Medium

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This is a more accurate reflection of the actual roast level rather than internal & external colour readings and is based off roasting weight loss %. <11% is Nordic ultra-light; 11-13% is Light with balanced acidity and sweetness; 14-16% is Medium for rounded body and caramel; 16-20% is Dark for rich, chocolatey and intensity; 20%+ is Starbucks/Italian for bold, smoky depth. Some would say the higher the %, the 'stronger' the coffee.

Roasting Weight Loss 15.0%

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Coffee roasting weight loss refers to the significant reduction in the mass of green coffee beans during the roasting process, typically ranging from 9% to 25% depending on the roast level. This phenomenon primarily occurs due to the evaporation of moisture, which constitutes about 9-13% of the bean's initial weight

Internal Agtron: 86

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This is a more accurate reflection of the actual roast colour than external as its measured after grinding, internal Agtron reveals how far into the bean the roast has penetrated. Our filter roasts often score over 100, preserving acidity, florals, and the unique vibrant characteristics of each origin and process. Please bear in mind that grind courseness can affect the internal colour readings, so it is impossible to compare from roaster to roaster using this colour reading.

External Agtron: 64

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This refers to the surface colour of the whole roasted bean, but it's not always a reliable indicator of roast level - Some of our most vibrant and lightly roasted coffees like our Ecuadorian Sidra, may appear medium-dark (Agtron 50–60) due to their surface color, yet are in fact light roasts with minimal development time. Surface colour can be affected by the original green colour, bean type, density and moisture - so don't judge a bean by its exterior.

Agtron Spread: 22

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The Agtron spread is the difference between the colour of whole beans and ground coffee, showing how deeply the coffee is developed. A spread of 0–10 usually are very dark, oily roasts typical of Italian-style which we dont offer at our Roastery. Spreads between 11–20 and 21–30 represent the roast levels you'll find in our espresso coffees, balancing sweetness, acidity, and body. Spreads above 30 make up most of our filter coffee range, featuring very light, bright roasts that highlight fruity, floral, and complex flavours. Within this, spreads from 31–40 offer clarity and vibrancy, while spreads of 40–50 showcase ultra-light roasts with delicate acidity and nuanced character.

Roasted On: Roest P3000

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The ROEST P3000 is a compact powerhouse that redefines what’s possible in small-batch production roasting. With the ability to roast 1–3 kg batches in under 7 minutes and crank out over 25 kg per hour, it delivers serious output without demanding a full-time operator. Automation handles everything from preheating to cooldown, with between-batch protocols ensuring consistent conditions roast after roast. Its slim footprint and lightweight build make it perfect for roasteries where space is tight but precision and efficiency are non-negotiable. What truly sets the P3000 apart is its unmatched control and data richness. It features more than 18 sensors—bean, exhaust, drum, humidity, pressure, and even a first-crack microphone—paired with PID-controlled airflow, drum speed, and temperature. A built-in bean camera offers live visual feedback, eliminating the need for a trier and paving the way for future AI enhancements. Whether you’re dialing in new coffees or replicating profiles at scale, the P3000 brings the lab-level accuracy of the ROEST sample roaster into full production—effortlessly and repeatably.

Taste Profile

Tasting Notes: Full body, crema, sweet, aggressive flavours, nutty, roasted tones, caramel, tobacco, spices (cloves, nutmeg, pepper, cardamom), syrupy sweetness

Cupping Score: 80.0

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Our coffees are scored using the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) protocol by Q Grader–certified cuppers. A score of 80+ qualifies as specialty grade — clean, well-processed, and high quality. 80–84 coffees are more common and often used in blends. 85–87 are brighter, more complex, and better suited for high-quality filter brews. 88–90 are exceptional, and 90+ coffees are ultra-rare, often Cup of Excellence (COE) winners — the best in the world.

Suitable To Go With Milk?: Yes

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Some of our light roasted filter coffees are bursting with bright, fruity acidity—think citrus, berries, or tropical notes. While these flavours shine on their own, they don't always play well with milk. The acidity can clash with milk's natural sweetness and creaminess, sometimes creating sour or chalky flavours.

Decaffeinated? No

Import into Beanconqueror

Monsoon Malabar is best enjoyed well-rested from 14 to 25+ days past the roast date once the beans have fully stabilized. This extended resting period delivers a superb flavor balance that is largely absent in the first 10+ days post-roast.

If you prefer to order only once every 2-4 weeks I highly recommend when you order you get any of our other beans and pair it with Monsoon so you can drink fresh coffee in the "sweet spot" for over 2 weeks without your coffee going stale.

What is Monsoon Malabar?

Monsooned Malabar was extremely popular in Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The flavors of Monsooned Malabar were originally unintentional and were simply a byproduct of transporting green coffee beans to Europe. The journey from India to Europe took approximately 6 months and the coffee, which sat in the hull of the ship, would absorb moisture from the sea and the humid winds. The moisture led the beans to swell to a larger size and turn a pale beige color. The taste of the coffee became smoother, softer and fuller.

Today, though shipping technology has advanced and now allows for the control of moisture in hulls, the demand for Monsooned Malabar remains, leading some producers to recreate the conditions of this particular coffee using special setups in their warehouses that take advantage of the monsoon winds.

Coffee in India

Though India is typically perceived as a tea-growing and drinking country, coffee production in the country actually predates tea. Records indicate that coffee first arrived in India in the 1600s, whereas tea did not arrive until more than 200 years later, in 1839. What does unite the two drinks, however, is that the British thirst for cheaper, more plentiful tea and coffee were the major reason that they were both first widely cultivated on plantations across India.

Coffee farms are typically situated between 700 and 1,200 meters above sea level. Most coffee cultivation is ‘traditional’ and two-tier shade canopies are mixed with leguminous, nitrogen-fixing trees. In this method, it is very common for coffee trees to be intercropped with spices (like vanilla or pepper) and fruit trees.

After harvest, which is most often done by hand by family members or hired laborers, cherry is usually processed as Natural or Fully washed. Most farms dry coffee on patios or tables, though some of the larger estates also have mechanical dryers.

Today, approximately 30% of coffee production is consumed internally. The other 70% is prepared for export.

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SKU: monsoon_60g
Package Weight: 100g

How does my coffee come packaged?

Despite some of our product images looking very fancy our coffee is packaged into a plain brown paper foiled lined bag with a Swiss WIPF degassing valve. This offers superior oxygen and moisture protection. We recommend once you crack the seal you store your coffee in AirScape containers or Weber Workshop Bean Cellars for a single dosing option.
You can also freeze/vacuum seal in small lots, then use straight away once removed from freezer.

We don't have fancy printed bags with ziplocks (more plastic), we save that cost and buy better quality green beans so you can focus on your cup quality instead of fancy marketing and artwork.

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India | Monsoon Malabar | Natural AA