It turns out that when you have produced a great coffee once, keeping that quality up is a huge, daunting task. As a coffee-growing country, India is not famous for its clean cups, but Akshay and Komal have been working on changing things. Raising expectations and starting with their own processing and helping those around them. They wrote a great blog post for us last year, here.
When I first introduced Mooleh Manay to our customers, it was a challenge to get people to try and today, we send it all over the world.
Top Trumps
Farm owner: Ms. G.G. Padmashree
Varietals: S795 Crossbred arabica, (very common in India)SLN 6 and Catuai.
Process natural; “Selectively picked”. Two words mean a lot in quality.
Farm Established (Changed hands):2013 Fourth generation farm.
Location: Banks of the Harangi backwaters; Foothills of the Western Ghats, North Coorg.
Total Crop potential: 15 tons
Roast level: Light Filter.
Cup Profile:
Aromatics: Anaerobic craziness, chocolatey, fruity, jammy | Body: Medium | Acidity: Wild strawberry, blueberry, apple, cherry |
In Filter:
This season Mooleh Manay Natural is as exciting as the first. This coffee is vibrantly fresh (although delivered a little later than other years) with broad complexity. Once the coffee is a day or two after roasting it settles down a little. When really fresh, there seems to be more depth of ripe fruit, however still delicious thereafter. having cupped this three times in three days, I would say that this is up there with one of the sweetest and most complex coffees in a while. All of the tables that we have cupped have been extraordinary, clean, and slightly different from the last.
In Espresso:
This is not a starter coffee. Mooleh Manay is a super complex coffee that will take some effort to get those rewards in the cup. Lighter roasts need a combination of longer extractions and also higher brew temperatures if you can. In the cup aim for roast cacao, compressed tart acidity of those jammy fruits, and a long citrus finish. If you are looking for a ratio, 1:2 is a good starting point. For me, this works nicely as espresso and a flat white, but not ideal in bigger drinks as the subtlety is lost.
When I write anything about India, I get a little emotive. Part of me thinks the very best bits of Britain lie hidden within the chaos of India, unchanged, like a message in a bottle from the late 1800s.
Mooleh Manay has been modernised and is producing coffee with an environmental and quality focus. In the UK, Komal Sable and Akshay Dashrath are selling well-produced coffees from the family farm and selected coffees, from friends and neighbors too. We absolutely love this coffee and urge you to watch this space as we have more to share in the coming days and weeks.
