Liberian Smoked Coffee is here. Have you tried it?

Coffee enthusiast couple Anjan Babu and Sanjana Sudarshan brew Liberica coffee at home, usually sourcing beans from roasters like Blue Tokai or Drip and Drop Coffee. Sanjana said the couple had their first cup of Liberica coffee at the Ground Up Café. “We fell in love with it the first time we had it. We bought a pack of Liberica beans home and we’ve been loving it ever since. It has a jackfruit flavor,” she said.Product Manager Bharath Raghavan started his coffee journey more than ten years ago. He first researched drip coffee, which is popular in Bangalore, and then explored other coffees and coffee beans from his barista friend who runs Dialogues Cafe. Bharat sources coffee beans from India and around the world during his travels. He said Liberica is slightly less well-known in Bengaluru’s coffee scene. “I would say less than 5% of the coffee beans available are Liberica. They are very difficult to find in India. I first encountered Liberica at Araku Estate,” he said.“Smoky” coffeeLiberia is a strain that tends to polarize interest. Barras said he likes some of its characteristics — Liberica has a slightly smoky flavor and a richer body that’s unique to it. “I like coffee that’s rich, jammy and acidic, so I started exploring coffee in this area.”Some of his friends with similar tastes like Liberica because of its texture. “Others don’t like it because the smokiness is too strong for them. For Liberica, I personally use an origami dripper on a Hario V60 and the pour-over method. I find this gives me the best mouthfeel results. Liberica is quite heavy-bodied and you need a more refined brewing method. I tried using a French press, but since this method adds more texture, it became too thick and difficult for my palate. Hand-brewed coffee is more sophisticated and works really well,” Baras said. “I think Liberica will take off in Bangalore because people who appreciate 100% Arabica coffee are now starting to understand different brewing and grinding methods,” he said. Changes in temperature and grind size play a big role in Liberica since it is a sensitive coffee bean. He adds that unlike Robusta, where you can usually get a decent cup of coffee no matter what, Liberica’s profile can vary greatly depending on the temperature and the press you use. Green coffee wave?Talking about the growing trend of green coffee, Khyyum Khan, head of sales at Benki Brewing Tools, said: “Compared to Arabica and Robusta, Liberica coffee is cleaner and has its own unique characteristics. When you drink or grind Liberica coffee, it exudes a rich flavor. We’re not used to drinking it, so when I give you something very different, people will take it as a personal trend. This is how Liberica and Excelsa became popular.“Adhi Savla, senior manager of coffee communities at Blue Tokai, said many people are aware of the “climate-adapted Excelsa.” Sunalini Menon, president of Coffeelab, Bengaluru, points out that Liberica and Excelsa are grown not only in countries like the Philippines or Malaysia, but also in Sierra Leone, where it was first discovered. “It has been around in India for decades, too. It’s just that we don’t grow it as coffee, but as a plant that demarcates one farm from another,” she said.South India Coffee Corporation (SICC) founder Komal Sable said that although the main crops for Indian producers are Arabica and Robusta at present, the demand for Excelsa is gradually growing. “We do receive special requests from specialty coffee roasters who are looking into climate-tolerant varieties. As you know, there are 133 different varieties of coffee. ” Excelsa has a fruity aroma in the glass. “It’s naturally low in acidity and quite sweet, which is a great entry point for people who don’t typically like acidic coffee,” she says.Khyyum Khan said Benki Brewing is considering stopping sales of Liberica. “The problem with Liberica is that it changes very quickly. For us, the optimal shelf life for a regular coffee shop is 30 to 45 days. With coffees like Liberica, we store them in single servings in a cooler environment, but they still change every day. It’s often very difficult for a commercial establishment to change recipes and train employees,” he said.