Tanzania doesn’t get quite as much praise heaped on it as its neighbours Kenya and Ethiopia, but it’s still one of the eminent African coffee-producing countries. Large-scale production in Tanzania has been around since the late 19th century, though it wasn’t until after the nation gained independence in the 60s that its people had any say in their own industry. Today, coffee production averages between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tonnes every year, and coffee remains Tanzania’s largest export crop.

This particular coffee, roasted by Origin Coffee Roasting, comes from several farms located in Tanzania’s Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions, where the high altitudes, rich soils, and ample rainfall make for excellent coffee growing conditions. This coffee is a blend of varieties from several farms in this area: Karatu Estate and various farms that form part of the Makiidi Rural Cooperative Society. 

Karatu is located within Ngorongoro, the largest inactive, unfilled and intact caldera in the world. Owner and manager Ladslaus Alfred employs 500 workers on his 200 hectares of farm here, and his coffee crop is naturally shaded by tall Umbrella Acacias. His farm contributed a lot of Red Bourbon to this blend.

Makiidi was first established in 1983. The average smallholder belonging to this collective typically owns less than a hectare of land, of which around only a half is used to grow coffee. Due to difficulties accessing vital coffee infrastructure like wet mills, smallholders typically process their coffee by hand at home. They pick, pulp, ferment, and wash their coffee, then leave it on patios or raised beds to dry in the sun. In some areas, chameleons provide natural pest control against the Antestia bug, which can ruin coffee crops. These small farms contributed coffees of the Kent variety, which was brought over from India by British missionaries, and of the N39 variety, a local cultivar of Bourbon genetic lineage.

The name of this combined lot, Mbili Twiga, translates to “two giraffes”, and reflects the collaborative effort responsible for it. Around 90% of the coffee in Tanzania is produced by smallholder farmers such as those responsible for this lot. It is a successor to another Mbili Twiga release earlier this year which was a AA lot, whereas this one is a peaberry lot. For those that remember the previous one, it should offer an interesting comparative tasting opportunity. Peaberries are a naturally occurring mutation where a coffee cherry bears only one seed, which is notably rounder. If nothing else, this makes uniformly roasting these beans (seeds) easier and so they are often sold as separate lots from their classic, flat-sided brethren.

Origin’s notes

• Flavour: Tamarind, chamomile, gooseberry, caramel toffee, sugar cane
• Body: Silky
• Acidity: Berry-like
• Roast: Light-medium
• Suggested brewing methods: V60, AeroPress, espresso & and milk drinks

Coffee details from Origin

• Country: Tanzania
• Region: Kilimanjaro Region
• Owners: Various smallholding farmers: Ladslaus Alfred of Karatu Estate, and the Makiidi Rural Cooperative Society
• Altitude: 1,400 - 1,800 masl
• Variety: Bourbon, Kent, N39
• Processing: Washed