The term 'Monsooned Malabar' was coined following an historical accident, when cargos of Indian coffee beans destined for the Karnataka farmer's colonial masters were exposed to frequent heavy humidity and moist sea winds on their long, arduous journeys. The wooden hulls which ships of this time had helped to develop a number of qualities that were soon sought after in coffee houses across Europe. Quickly, Malabar coffees became renowned for their rich, well developed heavy body, muted acidity and complex flavours.

Today, transportation has dramatically improved and so the monsooned ageing process has instead been replicated at origin. After being washed with clean mountain spring water and dried to 85 per-cent moisture the farmer we work with, Faiz Moosakutty, lays out his coffee in specially constructed, open-sided warehouses at the Bibi Plantations where it is then exposed to the monsoon winds.

The rainy season in Karnataka state begins in June, and the harvest is timed around the start of this period. When the rains begin, the coffee is laid out in the warehouses for several days, regularly raked, turned and tended to, thus ensuring even exposure and the prevention of mould or taints developing. After this period, Faiz bags his crop and leaves till the end of the season, still in the open warehouse, with the winds blowing through.

Afterwards the coffee is left to fully dry through September and October before being shipped around November. Faiz' farm is noted locally as a model estate for the services that it provides not just to its workers, but also to the surrounding community. Subsidised food supplies and dwellings are provided to permanent farm employees, while healthcare, electricity and transport to villages are available to neighbours and workers alike.