Indian Monsoon Malabar

One of my surprise favorites. I've enjoyed several varieties of Mysore, so I knew Indian coffees could be fantastic, but there is something quite unique about Monsoon Malabar. It used to be rain-washed on the decks of ships on the voyages from India to Britain for several months. When sea voyages of this type stopped, the demand continued for the unique flavor this process engendered. I can see why. It's hard to describe the flavor, but for me it is something like cocoa and mushroom together, sweet and musty at the same time. I also have found this coffee produces wonderful blends with other varieties, doing well together with the likes of Ethiopian Sidamo and Kenyan and Tanzanian Peaberry. Great coffee with a great story - worth a try I would say.

Could not be better. Discovered Monsooned Malabar at Trader Joe's, which no longer has it. Presumably it is difficult to come by. So what's so great about it? Nothing is more subjective than coffee. And I have never tasted anything quite like it. I know there is an entire language of words to describe coffee. I'm just not good at that. It's full, rich, smooth, wonderful lingering flavor. But that could apply to a hundred other coffees. My lady like Sumatra, very dark, sharp states, lots of oil. To me it is way too dark and sharpe. Sort of slaps the front of my tongue and then punishes me on the way down the gullet. To her, Monsoosed Malabar is OK but offers no excitement. One word of caution. The beans are quite dry and when ground fresh for each cup (I use an AeroPress) the coffee expands, a lot. So be careful pouring the water. For the moment and after 65 years of drinking coffee nothing comes close to Monsooned Malabar. Just hope I can continue to find it. Oh one more thing. I seems to have less acid. Great on my stomach.

I can’t say anything bad about FRC, they offer quality products at reasonable prices and I can’t say this is any different. However, Monsooned Malabar coffees do have a distinctive flavor, typically described as ‘pungent’, or ‘musty’... mix that with the fact that it’s pH Neutral from the monsooning process and you’re left with a very distinctive cup of coffee that isn’t quite like anything else you’ve ever had. FRC’s MM has a lot of very subtle notes present, primarily chocolate and spices. I am from a sommelier background and my first thought is this would be an amazing pairing with a wide array of deserts; the subtleness of the flavors wouldn’t risk overpowering a dish but would most certainly really pop when paired appropriately. Also, customers love hearing back stories about unique processes such as monsooning and it’s probably something most of them have never tried. That being said, as a go-to, stand-alone, morning-coffee, I prefer something a bit more bright with some kick and acidity. I usually buy Ethiopian Harrar or Kenya AA and this is about as far away from that as it gets. However, I am now the proud owner of 2lbs of this and will make the best of it. It’s not a bad coffee by any means but an unique one. Perhaps I’ll acquire a taste for this over the next several weeks.

AWESOME COFFEE!!!! It's extremely difficult finding a packaged coffee to make coffee at home and still have it taste like you are drinking it in a coffee shop. These beans produce a very clean and rich taste. I have tried running these beans through a few different methods of brewing. The first being the traditional drip cone which comes out amazing. I prefer the quickest method in the morning when I'm working and fueling up on my first cup. My go to combination daily consists of these Malabar coffee beans and a french press. I usually put around 25 grams of this coffee in a grinder and make a medium coarse bordering fine grind of the beans. I then heat water purified through my reverse osmosis system on the stove in a stainless steel pot just until it is getting ready to boil. After 4 minutes sitting in the french press with the beans I enjoy THE BEST COFFEE AT HOME EVER!!! Since I first tried this a year ago I have tried other beans at home (even from the same company Fresh Roasted LLC) but nothing compares to the Malabar. Definitely a must try!

Monsooned Malabar is my favorite coffee and when my regular supplier was out of whole beans I decided to try this one. I was not disappointed. The roast is lighter than the one to which I am accustomed, but surprisingly it has not changed the delicious flavor. Another reviewer commented on the variation in coloring of the beans. It is more apparent with this lighter roast, but I had noticed it with the darker roast as well. I believe it is a property of the beans themselves and not due to defective roasting. I use a ceramic Hario single cup for pour-over coffee, I don't like the second cup in the pot, so I always have fresh coffee. If you like a rich tasting coffee, you should like this one. Just want to add that the coffee was delicious to the last cup and my second bag is every bit as good.

The bag I received of the Malabar coffee was roasted 8 months ago. The beans are over roasted and oily. When brewing it taste burned, which is absurd for a "Light" roast. This really soured me on this brand as I did have a little better luck with some of their other varieties but I'll be looking for other brands that are more consistent in providing what the label says; i.e., if the label says light roast it should be light roast, not dark and oily, and not 8 months old.

I usually roast my own beans (and have used F.R.C's green beans in the past) but this bag of roasted coffee is a disappointment. Over roasted (closer to dark than it is to medium) stale to the point of it tasting ashy and bland, bag ziplock broke when opening. Just a bad experience all around. Couldn't imagine suffering through the 5lbs, it'll end up in the bin.

We have been drinking this coffee for years. It is a great, smooth, low acid brew.