JohnD18
New member
Anyone have opinions on coffees from India? Like, dislike, particular flavors associated with them? I feel like there isn't much talk about Indian coffee, but I have a fellow roaster who highly recommends it.
Indian Coffees
- Thread starter JohnD18
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ensoluna
Banned
India produces a lot of Robusta Coffee, around Bangalore city area where the climate is much cooler than other areas. and their harvest starts and ends a lot earlier than Guatemala where I work in coffee business. So most of my customers, always stop by in India to buy Robusta (good kind) for their espresso blends and then, they travel to Central America/Guatemala to buy specialty coffees and Arabica espresso blends.
However, as far as I know, they do not produce high quality Arabica coffee for specialty coffee market. (I am sure that there are some, but not significant enough to mention it)
However, as far as I know, they do not produce high quality Arabica coffee for specialty coffee market. (I am sure that there are some, but not significant enough to mention it)
ensoluna
Banned
I forgot to mention about the most famous Indian coffee of all time : Indian Monsooned Malabar Coffee.
I believe that this Monsooned coffee is only available from India (even though they share kind of similar cupping notes from Wet-hulled process from Indonesia, but not quite the same. however wet-hulled coffee is as close as it gets to malabar)
PROCESS : it take more than a year to process. the beans are stored in a warehouse with windows / doors open (Photo #4). when monsoon season comes and the monsoon winds will circulate in the warehouse while the beans are constantly raked and turned over to avoid molding (Photo #2). This process swells the beans with very pale color (photo #3). Also, it fattens body (i am talking about the cupping profile, not the size of the bean :+) BTW, actually it fattens the size of the beans also, and virtually eliminates the acidity.
CUPPING NOTE : Mellow yet aggressive (???!!!), Musty, "FUNKY", Sweet.. in a funky way, People are keep mentioning "complex profile", but in my personal opinion, they are saying "complex" because it is very difficult to describe this flavor profiles and every lot has different funky flavors.
PROCESSING : WET PROCESS/AGED. it will say like this in Processing chart, but it is unique process, one of its kind, Monsooned Wind Process, I should call it.
VARIETALS : Kent is the most and some others. (they cultivated Kent in the beginning to fight against Coffee Rust, but Coffee Rust won it over. however, Kent just stayed in India as main variety)
THIS IS EITHER YOU LOVE IT OR HATE IT COFFEE (for me, I rather have "Guatemalan" coffee than this...)
However, I "have heard" from my customers (mainly in Australia) that it gives a KICK and LINGERING COMPLEX FINISH when they add about 12% into their espresso blend. (well, I can imagine why...)
#2 & #4 photos are the warehouse with windows open for the wind.
#3 : Left side bean is regular bourbon. the Right one is the Malabar bean, swelled, very pale.. actually it looks like a bean with parchment attached.... interesting....
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I believe that this Monsooned coffee is only available from India (even though they share kind of similar cupping notes from Wet-hulled process from Indonesia, but not quite the same. however wet-hulled coffee is as close as it gets to malabar)
PROCESS : it take more than a year to process. the beans are stored in a warehouse with windows / doors open (Photo #4). when monsoon season comes and the monsoon winds will circulate in the warehouse while the beans are constantly raked and turned over to avoid molding (Photo #2). This process swells the beans with very pale color (photo #3). Also, it fattens body (i am talking about the cupping profile, not the size of the bean :+) BTW, actually it fattens the size of the beans also, and virtually eliminates the acidity.
CUPPING NOTE : Mellow yet aggressive (???!!!), Musty, "FUNKY", Sweet.. in a funky way, People are keep mentioning "complex profile", but in my personal opinion, they are saying "complex" because it is very difficult to describe this flavor profiles and every lot has different funky flavors.
PROCESSING : WET PROCESS/AGED. it will say like this in Processing chart, but it is unique process, one of its kind, Monsooned Wind Process, I should call it.
VARIETALS : Kent is the most and some others. (they cultivated Kent in the beginning to fight against Coffee Rust, but Coffee Rust won it over. however, Kent just stayed in India as main variety)
THIS IS EITHER YOU LOVE IT OR HATE IT COFFEE (for me, I rather have "Guatemalan" coffee than this...)
However, I "have heard" from my customers (mainly in Australia) that it gives a KICK and LINGERING COMPLEX FINISH when they add about 12% into their espresso blend. (well, I can imagine why...)
#2 & #4 photos are the warehouse with windows open for the wind.
#3 : Left side bean is regular bourbon. the Right one is the Malabar bean, swelled, very pale.. actually it looks like a bean with parchment attached.... interesting....
View attachment 4039View attachment 4040View attachment 4041View attachment 4042
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I personally do not like drinking Indian coffee. They are a bit musty for me. Here is someone who has been selling Indian coffee for a long time. Josuma Coffee Company | Josuma Coffee Company
If you want bold and insanely heavy coffee...try some Mysore nuggets.
If you want bold and insanely heavy coffee...try some Mysore nuggets.
ensoluna
Banned
hey topher, have you tried their coffee? Josuma.
I guess that if you had bought from them, did you buy green bean?
for me, I want to try, but I need to buy from them Roasted beans (I do not have good enough roaster at home to roast Malabar green beans...).
and I am not so sure whether they will sell me "fresh" roasted beans. (Yes, over a year aged coffee with Monsoon winds, but I want Freshly Roasted beans ha ha ha)
let me know your opinion. thanks
I guess that if you had bought from them, did you buy green bean?
for me, I want to try, but I need to buy from them Roasted beans (I do not have good enough roaster at home to roast Malabar green beans...).
and I am not so sure whether they will sell me "fresh" roasted beans. (Yes, over a year aged coffee with Monsoon winds, but I want Freshly Roasted beans ha ha ha)
let me know your opinion. thanks
I have but only at trade shows. I have not bought Indian coffees in about 8 years. Monsoon...is unique. But as I tell people taste is subjective. We can taste a coffee we do not care for and say if it tastes the way it is supposed to. That being said...it is our job to take the coffee and roast it to bring out the best qualities..even if the best qualities are ones we do not care for.
There is little moisture so it can be a challenge to roast. You have to post blend if blending due to such little moisture.
ensoluna
Banned
hello topher,
if someone wants to make an espresso blend with 10% malabar + 60% Robusta from Brazil + 30% Arabica bean from huehue, what is the best way of roasting? they all have different moisture levels and densities....
I am assuming that might be very tricky to roast......
ensoluna
Banned
yeah.. probably, that is the best answer.
do you know "how" you will roast each beans? since all 3 has different characteristic?
I am not a roaster, so I have absolutely no idea. but very interested to know.
thanks
peterjschmidt
Active member
I went through a few bags of MM last year, and it was good enough to drink straight, even though that's not my go-to flavor in a coffee.
My main use of MM is in my Roasty-Toasty Blend (very creative, I know). I avoid dark roasts like the plague, but have a handful of customers who just want something darker than the ace of spades. It's usually Sumatra, and whatever I else that's getting old and needs to be used up - it'll be roasted beyond recognition, so who cares, right? I add about 10% MM to the pre-roast blend, and it gives an added punch/pungency to the blend that these weirdos want.
My main use of MM is in my Roasty-Toasty Blend (very creative, I know). I avoid dark roasts like the plague, but have a handful of customers who just want something darker than the ace of spades. It's usually Sumatra, and whatever I else that's getting old and needs to be used up - it'll be roasted beyond recognition, so who cares, right? I add about 10% MM to the pre-roast blend, and it gives an added punch/pungency to the blend that these weirdos want.
JohnD18
New member
- Thread starter
- #14
I went through a few bags of MM last year, and it was good enough to drink straight, even though that's not my go-to flavor in a coffee.
My main use of MM is in my Roasty-Toasty Blend (very creative, I know). I avoid dark roasts like the plague, but have a handful of customers who just want something darker than the ace of spades. It's usually Sumatra, and whatever I else that's getting old and needs to be used up - it'll be roasted beyond recognition, so who cares, right? I add about 10% MM to the pre-roast blend, and it gives an added punch/pungency to the blend that these weirdos want.
That's good to know. Thanks peter.
So, tell me if I am getting this right here. Sounds like MM, though ok to drink straight, is best used as part of a blend?
