Komal, Espresso from India
Coffee Info
| Flavor | Tamarind, grapes, quirky and dense |
| Origin | Sirangalli Community, Coorg, Karnataka, India |
| Producers | Sirangalli Community with Komal and Akshay from South India Coffee Company |
| Varieties | SLN 6, SLN 9, Chandragiri |
| Post-Harvest Process | Natural anaerobic: fermented for 5 days in sealed tanks, dried for 7 to 10 days in controlled temperature environment, then two months of retention before hulling |
| Source | Via This Side Up, Netherlands |
| Certification | None |
| All our coffees are sold as whole beans. | |
Sensory Profile
Flavor Notes
1 subtle · 3 medium · 5 pronounced
Extremely versatile and multi-layered coffee. From red grapes through sweet passion fruit to various forest berries and pralines, we can find it all.
Body and Aftertaste
| light | medium | heavy |
|---|---|---|
| silky | soft | velvety |
| tea-like | round | full-bodied |
| delicate | creamy | dense |
Endlessly long aftertaste of praline, sweet passion fruit, tropical fruits.
Balance
Sweetness 50 %
How We Prepare This Coffee
What a powerhouse! According to Nadja, this year's harvest of this coffee is so balanced, harmonious, and round that you can almost brew it however you want. Definitely try many different recipes, because the coffee shows a different facet each time, thus revealing its extreme complexity. Attention: the coffee demands, like other heavily processed coffees, a finer grind. If last year's harvest was a roaring lion, Komal has tamed it this year. The coffee still shows its boozy character if you want it to. Michel even thought the first shot at 14 seconds was already good.
Portafilter, 9 bar (Vibration Pump)
For the standard 9-bar profile, we used a brew ratio of 1:2.1 and 29 seconds and are thrilled: sweet passion fruit, tropical fruits, extremely elegant and dense, very graceful and complex. Not sour, not bitter, not dusty. Basics: How to make espresso. Maro code: HTTRNBL
Portafilter, Long Pull
If you prefer the more modern version of an espresso, you can pull the coffee with the same brew ratio of 1:2.1 for 50 to 54 seconds and will be rewarded with a wealth of flavors. The coffee now has plenty of room to unfold. The cup thereby appears lighter and softer. Nadja really likes this, Michel prefers it less. Maro code: ANAWEHZ
Portafilter, Rotary Pump
Same recipe as the 9-bar profile, just 3 to 5 seconds shorter. The rotary pump builds pressure immediately, so the espresso runs faster.
Pressure Profile (Maro)
For the pressure profile, we reduce pressure from the main brew and counter that with slightly increased brew temperature. That means: instead of 93 °C, we take 94 °C and can thus extract the same amount despite lower pressure, but more gently, so to speak. With 20 g in and 42 g out at 29 seconds and complete puck blooming after eight seconds (3.5 bar), then up to just 7.5 bar, we're floating on cloud nine: this cup is incredibly soft, balanced, structured with extreme sweetness and super juicy acidity. Maro code: PBJUARV
Water: Total hardness 5 °dH, Alkalinity 3 °dH · Machine: Maro Model 1, 93 °C · Grinder: Eureka Single Dose Pro
Why Does This Coffee Taste the Way It Does?
After manual harvesting, the cherries are sorted and fermented in a sealed tank for 5 days. This enables more precise control of the process and 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 a custom-designed yeast. Afterward, the whole cherries are dried for 7 to 10 days in a controlled temperature environment. Before hulling, the cherries rest for two more months to slow the water activity in the bean and gain more stability in the character of the green coffee over an extended period.
Why We Chose This Coffee
In March 2026, Nadja visited Akshay and Komal together with Lennart from "Good Middle Man" This Side Up. "We were immediately on the same wavelength," says Nadja, who is thrilled by their work and research in the field of coffee species. With their South India Coffee Company, the two function much like our Claudia in Nicaragua with her company BridAzul. They process the cherries of selected farmers from the surrounding area, invest in regenerative agriculture, and thus work against poverty and rural depopulation in and from the region. All their practical know-how also flows into scientific work. We handle the purchase through Lennart and his company This Side Up, an importer from the Netherlands who not only promises transparency but backs up every lot with open prices.
How We Roast This Coffee
We decided to roast the coffee light because this green coffee brings plenty of texture on its own, which is further emphasized by its post-harvest process. Thus we can roast with confidence "edgy" and focus on the acidity and the aromatics. Batch size, times and temperatures are shown in the curve.
Giesen W30A 2021 · Batch 20 kg · August 5, 2026
1st crack at 15% · Roast: Raul.
- Coffee and FermentationWhat happens in 60 hours in a sealed tank and why yeast makes the process controllable.
- Espresso is Sour? What to DoWhen Komal's acidity is too loud: the three controls that help.
- Pre-Infusion in EspressoWhy eight seconds of puck blooming in the pressure profile is no accident.
Also Available via Coffee Letter
All our coffees can be ordered via Coffee Letter. It's treated like a regular letter and lands in your mailbox. This reduces shipping for 250 g of coffee from CHF 7.– to CHF 2.50. At checkout, you can choose between Coffee Letter, A-Post, and B-Post options.
Garantierte Herkunft
Wir wissen exakt wo unser Kaffee herkommt und wann dieser wo geröstet wurde.
Persönliche Beratung
Wir sind bei Fragen und Problemen als Ansprechpartner für dich da.
Schneller Versand
Lieferung aus Deutschland oder der Schweiz
Gratis Versand in CH ab 120 CHF
