I had an exciting time roasting my first batch of Monsooned Malabar (Arabica). For anyone who hasn't tried them, the beans look like the first beachgoers after a long, long, sunless winter. They're almost white and look a bit "puffy."
I put 300 g of them in the Maggio at 155°C and they acted just like any other bean...for the first 9 minutes, or until the temperature was back up to about 165°C and then all of a sudden they took off. First crack sounded like a civil war and the amount of chaff was astonishing.
The temperature curve rose almost vertically and I never heard the end of first or beginning of second crack, but as they approached the flash point, I could see oil on them and the temperature was rising so fast that I was sure they would catch fire so I dumped them. They were very oily, but not all that dark and after cooling the oil was mostly reabsorbed into the beans and I would rate them Full City.
It was the strangest roast I've ever experienced. It's like the process became exothermic very early on, at about the time of first crack. I glanced at the fire extinguisher a couple of times.
I had my first cups yesterday and I am blown away (pun sort of unintentional). A kind of earthy chocolate in milk drinks, sweet and very full bodied. As espresso they make a very dark cup, reddish brown crema and an aroma like a spice drawer! As the cup cools down it goes from nutmeg and cinnamon to walnuts, coriander and mace, but with a full-coffee base, if that makes any sense. It's not like some spicy coffees that don't taste like coffee anymore, this is unmistakably coffee, but with all kinds of subtle spices added and what's more sweet and potent.
I don't think I will roast another batch right away as I think it best to keep this as a shocker, perhaps once a month or so. I would hate to get used to drinking it. I might grow tired of it, too. I served Karin a cappuccino this afternoon and after the first taste she looked into the cup and asked me if I had sweetened it. She liked it so much she asked for a second.
With the taste of spices and nuts this is really an interesting coffee. I suppose one has to have an open mind about it as it isn't like any of the clean tasting, fruity Arabicas we drink most of the time.