What is monsooned coffee?

Monsooned coffee is a deliberately aged green coffee produced by exposing dried beans to the humid monsoon winds of India's Malabar coast between June and September. During three to four months in open-sided warehouses, the beans absorb moisture, swell to roughly twice their original size, and turn from green to pale golden yellow.

The transformation in cup is dramatic: acidity drops dramatically, body increases substantially, and the coffee develops a musty, pungent, earthy character unlike anything produced by conventional processing. It's not subtle, and it's not trying to be.

Monsooned Malabar AA is the most celebrated example. Divisive by design - it's an acquired taste. In traditional European espresso blending it's valued for the body and depth it anchors into a blend. For roasters building something that needs real weight and intensity without going darker on roast, a small proportion of monsooned coffee can do something nothing else quite manages.