Komal, Espresso from India

Komal - Green Bean Info

How We'd Brew Komal

For a classic 9-bar profile, we work at a brew ratio of 1:2.4 to 1:2.5. At 25-26 seconds, you get an almost cheeky acidity, multifaceted, lively and yet well-balanced. At 30-32 seconds, the espresso is calmer and less intense, which might suit you better depending on the time of day.
With the pressure profile, we've worked with a similar brew ratio. "This coffee doesn't need a 1:2 brew ratio to show off its fat body," as Michel puts it. For 11 seconds we create a slow cake saturation at 3 bar, then finish brewing at 8 bar. The texture becomes even softer and silkier with the pressure profile. Extracted at 25-26 seconds, we also emphasize the acidity and fruit here, while at 30-32 seconds we create a really fat and silky texture (it's fine to let it cool down a bit).

Tell me more about Komal

During their time in London, Komal and Akshay realized that very little good Indian coffee was being exported. Apparently there were hardly any exporters focused on specialty coffee. "Let's start an export company – how hard can it be?", Akshay tells with a broad grin on his face. Shortly after, the two founded South India Coffee Company (SICC) and returned to India. In addition to their new business, they also took over Akshay's family farm, which they now operate in the fourth generation. They also wanted to build partnerships with diverse coffee farmers in the region. "We weren't just looking for partners," says Komal, "we were looking for passionate coffee farmers who understand the complexity of this trade." Given low prices and the migration of many people to the cities, their approach is based on higher prices and innovation – both technologically and in regenerative agriculture.

Why does Komal taste the way it does?

After manual harvest, the cherries are sorted and fermented in a sealed tank for 60 hours. This allows more precise control of the process as well as greater consistency and clarity in the cup. An extended fermentation time deepens the flavor complexity and also ensures complete breakdown of the fruit flesh (mucilage) of the coffee beans. Komal controls this post-harvest process precisely by adding custom-tailored yeast. After that, the whole cherries are dried for 7-10 days in a controlled temperature environment. Before pulping, they rest the cherries for another two months to slow down water activity in the bean and achieve greater stability in the characteristics of the green coffee over a longer period.

Why did we buy Komal?

Akshay and Komal operate with their South India Coffee Company much like our Claudia in Nicaragua with her company Bridazul. Both process cherries from selected farmers who share the same values as they do – and thus also with us. They pay fair prices, share all their know-how via social media, invest in regenerative agriculture and thus fight poverty and migration in and out of the region. We handle the purchase through Lennart and his company This Side Up. An importer from the Netherlands that not only champions full transparency but also demands and implements it like almost no other.

How do we roast this coffee?

We roast the coffee in a 20kg batch on our 30kg Giesen roaster. We roast the coffee for 11:30 minutes with a development time of 60 seconds (9.2%). We decided to roast the coffee light because this green coffee already brings a lot of texture with it, which is further emphasized by its post-harvest process. This allows us to roast with a clear conscience "edgy" and focus on acidity and aromatics.

Our seasonal fruity espressos in a subscription

In the Bouba-Abo you'll receive the current beans from the purple espresso line sent directly to your home. This way you get it regularly roasted and without effort in your mailbox.

Shipping also available as Coffee Letter

All our coffees can be ordered in the form of a Coffee Letter. This reduces the postage for 250g of coffee from CHF 7 to CHF 2.50. It's treated like a regular letter and lands in your mailbox.

At checkout you can choose between Coffee Letter, A-Post and B-Post options.

Read coffee details in Beanconqueror:

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