Coffee beans
Monsooned Malabar
Monsooned Malabar is an Indian coffee dried in the humid monsoon winds of the Malabar coast, giving a mellow, spicy, low acid cup.
- Taste Heavy body, very low acidity, earthy, spicy and woody, with notes of dark chocolate and tobacco.
- Grown The Malabar coast of Karnataka and Kerala. The coffee is then monsooned in coastal warehouses near Mangalore and Tellicherry.
- Caffeine note Caffeine depends on whether it is made from Arabica or Robusta, as the process itself does not change it much.
Written by the KAIVO team, Mumbai. Last updated 4 November 2026. Cite as: KAIVO, "Monsooned Malabar", kaivo.in/pages/beans-monsooned-malabar
Monsooned Malabar is a speciality of Karnataka and Kerala in India. The raw beans are spread in open, ventilated warehouses on the Malabar coast and exposed to the humid winds of the south west monsoon for about 12 to 16 weeks. They swell, lose acidity and turn a pale golden colour. The cup is heavy, low in acid, spicy and earthy. It is protected as a Geographical Indication in India, and is popular in Europe for espresso blends.
Questions
Why is it called monsooned?
The beans are exposed to the damp winds of the monsoon season to change their colour and flavour. This copies what used to happen on slow sea voyages from India to Europe in the age of sailing ships.
Is Monsooned Malabar the same as normal Indian coffee?
No. It is a special style made by a special process. It is much lower in acid and heavier in body than most Indian coffee.