Flavor Characteristics and Story Introduction of Tanzanian Coffee Beans East African Coffee Flavor Related to Varieties and Altitude

Tanzania Coffee: The Neighbor of Kenya's Premium Coffee

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The bright acidity of Kenyan coffee has captured the taste buds of many coffee lovers who prefer acidic light roast coffee. However, next to Kenya lies a country with a longer cultivation history that has been rapidly revitalizing and catching up with Kenyan coffee in recent years. FrontStreet Coffee would like to introduce you to the close neighbor of Kenyan coffee—Tanzanian coffee.

Tanzania is a typical East African country, bordering Kenya and Uganda to the north, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to the south, and Rwanda and Burundi to the west. Many people like to compare Tanzanian coffee with its neighbor Kenya. Compared to Kenya's premium coffee beans, Tanzanian coffee has slightly less bright acidity, presenting a more gentle and mild beauty, with additional sweet fragrance. Rich red wine notes are also a characteristic of Tanzanian coffee.

Tanzania Coffee Production History

Although not as famous as Kenyan beans, its annual production is nearly equal to Kenya's, reaching 50,000 tons. The earliest Arabica seeds were introduced from Réunion Island and planted in the Bayamoyo and Mogoro regions. In 1893, beans planted on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro became the most successful coffee beans. Other varieties were gradually introduced from neighboring Burundi in the 1950s and planted in western Tanzania. Currently, 75% is mainly grown in high-altitude areas, while local wild coffee continues to emerge.

Unlike most African producing countries, Tanzanian coffee bean bags are not the common jute bags, but rough fiber bags made from agave leaves. This is because the local government banned the use of jute bags to protect Tanzania's sisal industry.

Tanzania Coffee Growing Regions

The northeastern part of Tanzania stands Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro. After World War I, it was under trusteeship and was once a British colonial rule, gaining independence in 1964. Bourbon variety coffee was first introduced in 1893, with washed processing being the main method for green beans. High-quality, high-altitude Tanzanian coffee, like Kenyan coffee, exhibits lively and bright acidity.

Tanzania's northern coffee growing regions include the highlands around Mount Kilimanjaro, such as Moshi and Mbeya. To the south, the Songea-Ruvuma region, traversed by the Ruvuma River, is the main area. Due to different growing terrains, the styles vary slightly. Coffee from the Ruvuma region in southwestern Tanzania has wine and fruit aroma flavors, distinguishing it from coffee in the northern Mount Kilimanjaro region.

Mount Kilimanjaro volcano is located in northeastern Tanzania and is also Tanzania's largest coffee producing region, accounting for 75%. Generally speaking, Tanzanian coffee beans have exceptional quality. Important growing regions are in the mountainous areas north of Kenya. Coffee smallholders account for 85% of coffee cultivation, growing coffee at altitudes between 1300-2000m. Its coffee flavor differs from neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya, possessing characteristics of both countries with excellent body and fruit-floral aromas, making it a coffee worth trying.

Coffee belongs to dicotyledonous plants. Generally, a coffee cherry fruit normally contains a pair (two halves) of coffee seeds, which we call coffee beans.

Peaberry vs. Flat Beans

Compared to flat beans (pair of flat-sided beans), peaberries, also known as caracol or caracolillo, means "small snail" in Spanish. Botanically, the occurrence of peaberries is attributed to uneven pollination (Arabica coffee is a self-pollinating plant; if a coffee flower has only one ovary, or only one ovary is successfully pollinated, it can only produce one seed), or uneven nutrition during growth (usually more likely to occur in coffee fruits growing at the ends of coffee tree branches). Nutrients are absorbed by only one cotyledon, and only the cotyledon that receives nutrients continues to grow into a single small oval-shaped coffee seed, hence the name peaberry.

Normally, the proportion of peaberries produced by coffee plants is about 3-5%, making them relatively rare. Because their shape and size differ from normal flat beans, they are often separately graded and sold through screen sieving.

Tanzanian coffee is grown in the fertile soil of the East African Rift Valley and is an outstanding representative of quality coffee from this region. Its refreshing acidity and medium body complement sweet citrus and floral aromas. This coffee tastes excellent whether served hot or as iced coffee. Paired with oranges or berries, it further highlights its bright flavors.

Northern coffee has abundant aroma, bright acidity, and a rich mouthfeel. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil, it has a mineral water-like sweetness. Tanzania's northern coffee growing regions include the highlands around Mount Kilimanjaro, such as Moshi and Mbeya. To the south, the Songea-Ruvuma region, traversed by the Ruvuma River, is the main area. Due to different growing terrains, the styles vary slightly.

FrontStreet Coffee Tanzania Kilimanjaro Coffee

Region: Northern Highlands, Mount Kilimanjaro Volcanic Region

Variety: Typica

Processing Method: Washed

Grade: AA

Altitude: 1300-2000m

Southern coffee has rich floral aromas, with a smooth mouthfeel and elegant fruit acidity. Coffee from the Ruvuma region in southwestern Tanzania has wine and fruit aroma flavors, distinguishing it from coffee in the northern Mount Kilimanjaro region.

FrontStreet Coffee Tanzania Southern Region

Region: Southern Region

Variety: Bourbon

Processing Method: Washed

Grade: AA

Altitude: 1200-2100 meters

Washed Processing Method

This Tanzanian coffee bean from FrontStreet Coffee is washed processed. After harvesting, high-quality, ripe fruits are first selected, then pulped, naturally fermented for 12-24 hours, cleaned thoroughly, soaked in water for 24 hours, cleaned again, and dried in the sun.

Tanzania Green Bean Grading System

The highest grade for green beans officially established by Tanzania is AAA. Designations such as AA top and AB plus originate from private green bean merchants who conduct secondary screening from officially designated batches and confer the higher AA top title than AA.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis

Kilimanjaro coffee is uniformly large-sized beans with gray-green color. FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roasting to highlight stronger acidity and sweet fragrance, resulting in excellent flavor.

Enter the drum at 170°C, heat at 130, damper open at 3; Return to temperature point at 1'55", when drum temperature reaches 120°C, open damper to 4, heat unchanged; At 165.8°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. At 6'30", ugly wrinkles and black patterns appear on bean surface, toast smell obviously turns to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound. At 10'16", first crack begins, damper open to 5. Develop for 1'45" after first crack, discharge at 193°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine (80% passes through #20 standard sieve)

Water Temperature: 90°C

Segmented Extraction: Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour with small water flow in circular motion to 125g for segmentation. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter cone. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor: It has a soft, appealing low-key acidity similar to the red wine texture of Kenyan coffee, a rounded mouthfeel, and medium viscosity. Besides the lingering aftertaste, it possesses both fruit aroma and fruit acidity. The acidity is weaker than Kenyan coffee, making it a relatively mild coffee.

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