Monsoon Malabar - Weird Bean

[tisri]

Hi all,

This afternoon I tried my first roast of Monsoon Malabar. The first thing I noticed is that it's a very large bean - the 250g dose for the HotTop only just fit into my regular measuring pot and that was piled as high as I dared. It was also the sort of colour I'd expect a bean to be after about 5 minutes in the drum - much more yellow than green.

The other Weird Thing about this bean is that I could hear the pops of second crack getting quite active while I could also hear the pops of first crack dying down. First crack started at around 17:15 and had almost died out by 19:00 but was still popping a little at 19:40 when second crack was well underway.

I dumped the beans after 20 minutes and found that I still had 214g of beans, they seemed to take up no more space than any other roasted bean and weren't particularly dark. They smell good, and in a couple of days I'll get to see if they taste good as well.

Does anyone else have experience of this rather oddly-behaved bean?

Cheers
John

[Steve]

This is quite normal John, experiance of roasting in a 2kg machine means I end up with around a kg of beans at the end. And it cracks like mad !! all the time. There is no first or second crack just cracks

[tisri]

Thanks for that Eeffoc - I do just have to ask you one question though. If you roast 2kg down to 1kg does that mean you are roasting something darker than I am? I think we need to know

[Steve]

LOL your persitant if nothing else . No You just cant get 2kg of it in the 2kg roaster because its so swollen by the monsoon winds.

[tisri]

Awwww..... I really thought I was going to get you to admit you roasted something darker than I did...

I can't explain why but I've got a good feeling about this bean. Hopefully it will prove me right

[zix]

Does anyone else have experience of this rather oddly-behaved bean?

Oh yes. I roast both this and other aged beans. The monsoon malabar does behave somewhat oddly, but it is very much the same as other aged beans IME. Only more. Did it come out uneven in colour? It does for me.
I am eager to hear what you think of it after tasting. 2 days waiting might be a bit much, actually - depending on how dark you did it, of course.

Wouldn´t want to give you any opinion of mine on it yet, other than this: it does not taste like the un-aged malabar.

[tisri]

I'll certainly be reporting back on it. The beans are a little uneven in colour - I didn't roast them anywhere near as dark as I would for espresso, although the 20 minutes they had in the HotTop would leave most espresso blends nice and dark.

As they say in the trade, watch this space!

[tisri]

I have to say this bean is like nothing I've tasted before. It's got a very intense flavour that comes across as winey and earthy. The grounds are nutty and the body is awesome. Mrs tisri said it was one she'd need a lot of sugar in (she's not a huge coffee lover).

Full tasting notes to follow imminently.

[mattmills]

It is a very interesting coffee, and it really feels quite wild in the mouth. May i recommend blending it with some Mysore, as the creamy taste, works very well with the wild effect from the malabar

[tisri]

Eeeek - put me out of my ignorance. I've come across Mysore before but can't remember where it's from. I don't have any in my stockpile but I'm due to be ordering in the next few days - remind me where I can get it?

[phil]

Mysore is in India. Where you can get it? "The usual place" used to keep it. I'm not sure but I don't think he has it any more.... in fact I've just checked and he hasn't. It wasn't wonderful.

[simonp]

If you're prepared to wait, or pay high air freight charges, then Sweet Marias sell a Mysore called "Mysore Nuggets" and no it doesn't refer to the reults of a kick in the privates
Some of the SM stuff might be up your street as they do some blends which are particularly suited to dark roasting. It's only worth it if you want a fair bit of stuff.

[mattmills]

It is just a type of coffe from India. It is commonly found in Espresso blends from Italy as it had a very creamy texture with subtle sweetness.... much like double cream.

I have no idea where you may be able to buy it retail wise, but i am sure that Steve would be able to hold of some if he does not already have it in.

[mattmills]

There should be a few places round London, whould check out Anitas place off covent garden..... Monmoth coffee co. They should have some.

[tisri]

If you're prepared to wait, or pay high air freight charges, then Sweet Marias sell a Mysore called "Mysore Nuggets" and no it doesn't refer to the reults of a kick in the privates
Some of the SM stuff might be up your street as they do some blends which are particularly suited to dark roasting. It's only worth it if you want a fair bit of stuff.

Thanks for the tip - I'll take a look over their web site. International shipping is always a bit of a kicker but if needs be I'll pick some up next time I'm that side of the pond.