Monsooned Malabar

The harvested coffee seeds are exposed to the monsoon rain and winds for a period of about three to four months, causing the beans to swell and lose the original acidity, resulting in a flavor profile with a practically neutral pH balance.

[1][2] The coffee is unique to the Malabar Coast of Karnataka, Kerala and the Nilgri mountains of Tamil Nadu and has protected status under India's Geographical Indications of Goods Act.

[1] The brew is heavy bodied, pungent, and considered to be dry with a musty, chocolatey aroma and notes of spice and nuts.

[citation needed] In the past, the coffee beans had been changed by exposure to the sea air and monsoon winds and rain.

A typical ambiance could be simulated along the coastal belt of southwest India during the monsoon months, bringing about the same characteristic change to the ordinary cherry coffee beans.