Are you trying to create an espresso blend that displays creamy mouthfeel and abundant crema? One of the best ways to get these attributes is to incorporate a low-acid natural-processed Arabica, such as Monsooned Malabar, into your blend. The tricky part, though, is figuring out just how much to use.
STANDARD GRADE MONSOONED MALABAR
Importers of the standard Monsooned Malabar-AA will typically recommend that this coffee represent no more than 10-15% of a roaster’s espresso blend. Because Standard Grade Monsooned Malabar is intended more for drip coffee than for espresso, that is probably good advice.
As we have discussed before, the raw material used to produce the Standard Grade, along with the process by which that coffee is monsooned, often results in Standard Grade Monsooned Malabar displaying a slight musty, “mildewed” flavor. The taste is often compared to wet socks.
Since the espresso process magnifies every feature- both good and bad- of a coffee, having Standard Grade Monsooned Malabar constitute more than 15% of a blend will likely contaminate the whole espresso with its musty flavor. Such a low percentage, though, will invariably not be enough to improve the mouthfeel and crema production of your espresso blend.
SUPER GRADE MONSOONED MALABAR
One thing that makes Josuma Coffee unique is that we don’t import the Standard Grade Malabar. Instead, we focus on SUPER GRADE Malabar, the version of Monsooned Malabar intended primarily for espresso.
The first way by which the Super Grade distinguishes itself from the lower grade Malabars is by starting with higher quality beans as the raw material. Next, Josuma has Aspinwall & Co, our monsooning partner, employ a more exacting monsooning process which roots out all partially-monsooned beans. This can often be 25-40% of a lower-grade A or AA bag. These extra steps result in a MUCH CLEANER product and a far more refined cup. Accordingly, roasters utilizing Super Grade Monsooned Malabar in their espresso blend can use much higher percentages.
Outstanding espresso blends, such as our own Malabar Gold, can have the Super Grade represent 30%, 40%, or even 50% of the blend. This high percentage is what makes those blends produce such thick, syrupy espresso as well as the incredible amount of crema that they are often known for.