India — Monsoon Malabar ($4.25/lb)

This Monsoon Malabar is one of the most unique green coffees in our lineup because of the way it is processed. The monsoon "process" (as compared to washed process, natural process, etc.) happened first by accident a few hundred years ago on clipper ships that carried green coffee from India to Europe during monsoon season, exposing the green coffee beans to extreme moisture and winds. The process has since been recreated to mirror that journey, with cherries being laid at the port of Malabar for three to four months during monsoon season, again exposing the beans to extreme winds, moisture, and rain.

The result on the coffee beans is almost startling. Immediately you will notice that the term "green coffee" doesn't really apply. The color of monsoon process beans is very pale and almost yellow, and the beans are much larger and more brittle than most green coffee. But because of the high amounts of moisture the beans absorb during processing, the coffee yields a very non-acidic cup, with an almost neutral pH. What's left is a very mild, yet wildly aromatic coffee that makes for a really great espresso or blend component.