Hi folks - long time reader, first time poster. Great resource! I've been roasting on my humble Whirley Pop for about two years. Batch size is just under a pound at a time, which I've found is just about ideal for me and my roasting is "calibrated" to that batch size by now. Anyway, I ordered India Monsooned Malabar from Gen-X as a wildcard (never tried it before) and when it arrived with the other coffees I ordered, it was very pale, almost white. Moisture was VERY low also, just judging from the "clacking" sound they made as I ran my fingers through the bag. I assume this is the normal for the Monsooned.... so I went ahead to roast, a little nervous now because of the different physical characteristics (and wondering how lower moisture would affect the roast) and hit a very vigorous first crack at about 9 minutes. Perfect. Then it proceeded almost immediately into second crack. I stopped it about 15 seconds into second crack, and the roast ended much lighter than a comparable other origin at the same time into second and is VERY oily (beans sticking together). Did it proceed so quickly into second crack because of the "thermal mass" of the roast, anybody else had this happen? Any other comments on the roast as I described it? Any comments on the origin, like/dislike ideal roast depths?

Thanks!

Dennis

Monsoon Malabar have a tendency to roast faster than most other beans that I have tried. You should be gentle in the application of heat. The color is very different and you should not rely on it to judge a roast level.

I often also have had second crack start just after or even before the first crack was done. I have reduced this by reducing the intensity of the heat well before 1st crack. This has worked for me in the popper and in the drum roaster. Never tried a whirley pop so good luck on that one.

The Monsoon beans need a little more attention but they are well worth the efforts. The taste is not liked by everyone but for me it is about variety.

Just to update on this...yes, pretty much undrinkable for the first four days, but really mellowed out after that. The "mustiness" relaxed into a deep body, and almost no brightness in the cup. All in all, really liked it after resting (for me it's about variety also), but not one of my top three coffees. I will try again, just not on this next round.

Thanks for the input!

Dennis

For me, it is on par with Kopi Luwak.

Although MM has not been through the digestive track of a civit and out the other end -- judging by the taste, it might just as well have been.

ken

At the local roaster where I worked, the MM was roasted fairly slowly to 2nd crack, but was surprisingly light and a bit reddish. For sure it developed better flavor (and oiliness) after a few days. I thought its malty, earthy components, copious crema and lack of acidity made for a nice component in a blend, but kind of an oddity straight. The early roast aromas were like sulfury mildewed cardboard, which reminded me of when I used to live downwind of a paper mill.