A guide to Indian coffee | Nespresso Australia

Indian coffee guide

Skip to content

Header

You are in the main content.

Indian coffee guide

Indian Coffee Guide

To understand our Master Origin India coffee we must take a step back in history to more than a century ago. To a time when ships full of green coffee beans would set sail from tropical lands to the bustling coffee ports in Europe. When sailors would navigate their way across the sea for six months at a time to deliver precious coffee cargo.

It was on these long journeys that an age-old coffee drying technique known as monsooning was discovered - a discovery that would inspire coffee producers, the world over, for years to come.

But what is monsooning? How does it influence how Indian coffee farmers grow and harvest their coffee today? And what does our Master Origin India with Monsooned Robusta taste like?

Read our Indian coffee guide to learn all of this and more.

Indian coffee: a very brief history

The tale of how coffee came to India is a simple one. The story goes that in 1670, a merchant by the name of Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee beans from Africa into India. He used these beans to grow the very first coffee plants, and the rest is history. Master Origin India is our spirited homage to the fine Arabicas and Robustas he planted.

Master Origin India with Monsooned Robusta

What is monsooned coffee?

Monsooning is a coffee drying technique that was founded by chance many years ago when green coffee beans were transported to Europe on ships. When it was hot, the humidity would cause the beans to swell. Once the weather cooled, the beans would dry out and shrink. This repeated swelling and shrinking over the course of the trip actually changed the physical structure of the beans and altered their internal chemistry. The result: a syrupy, aromatic cup like no other.

As it happens, the unique climate and landscape on India's southwest coast offer the perfect conditions to replicate this ancient coffee drying process. Between the months of June and September each year when monsoonal winds are at their most intense, farmers place their coffee beans in an open-sided warehouse. The strong winds repeatedly swell and dry the beans, mimicking the sea voyage the beans once had to endure during transportation.

How is our Indian coffee grown and harvested?

As a way of earning a second income, many Indian farmers intercrop their coffee with spices. In some cases, pepper vines even grow up the coffee trees. This gives Indian coffee its spicy origin taste.

Local farmers engage in a skilled selection process in which only the finest cherries are hand-picked. The cherries are then hulled to their green bean state and are transferred to a warehouse for monsooning.

Over the course of three whole months, the farmers work in partnership with Mother Nature to develop and care for the beans. It's a process that involves a lot of time and care, but great coffee is always worth waiting for.

What does Indian coffee taste like?

Indian Coffee Beans

Our Master Origin India is a deliciously powerful and spicy cup. When coffee beans spend months facing the wind, they develop a distinct flavour inspired by the elements. Master Origin India has a delicious aromatic intensity and has woody, savoury and spicy notes that are as invigorating as sea mist itself. The combination of monsooned Robusta and Arabica coffee creates a heavy, syrupy body just like the beans that travelled the seas all of those years ago.

Master Origin - single origin Indian Coffee

Intensity ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Bitterness ● ● ● ● ●

Acidity ○ ○ ○ ○

Body ● ● ● ●

Roasting ● ● ● ● ●

Discover our full range of coffee blends

Indian coffee recipes

Looking for some recipe inspiration? Here are a couple of our favourite ways to enjoy Master Origin India.

Spiced Cappuccino featuring India

Spiced Indian Cappuccino

Try a different spin on your morning cappuccino with our take on a spiced coffee. The flavours of cinnamon and clove create a warm and cozy feeling. When combined with the aromatics of India, the spicy notes are accentuated with a strongly roasted coffee to help you kick start your day.

Ingredients:

  • 1 India capsule
  • 60ml of hot milk
  • 10ml of cinnamon syrup
  • 1 pinch of ground cinnamon.
  • 1 pinch of ground clove

Method:

  1. Pour hot milk into your cup.
  2. Add cinnamon syrup onto the milk and stir well.
  3. Prepare one Master Origin India coffee extracted as a 25mL Ristretto directly into your cup so it is on top of the milk and cinnamon syrup mix.
  4. Garnish with 1 pinch of ground cinnamon and clove to preference.

Indian Spicy Coffee

Indian Spicy Coffee

An epic encounter between chai's sweet, milky spice flavours and the cocoa and clove flavours of our Master Origin India.

Ingredients:

  • 1 India capsule
  • 25ml of milk
  • Chai tea

Method:

  1. Heat the milk, then add the chai tea
  2. Let it rest for 3 to 5 min
  3. Prepare two capsules of Master Origin India as espresso.
  4. Filter the milk and pour it in top of the coffee

Latte Macchiato

Indian Latte Macchiato

A simple way to enjoy our powerful Indian coffee.

Ingredients:

  • capsule of Nespresso Master Origin India
  • 100 - 120ml of cold milk

Method:

  1. Froth the milk
  2. Place the frothed milk into a large recipe glass
  3. Pour the coffee directly over the frothed milk
  4. Add sugar to taste

Ready to get creative?

Explore our recipe library online

If you liked this article, please share: