FAQ Certification - Flavor Profile and Processing Method of Tanzania Domi Kilimanjaro AA Coffee Beans?

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FAQ Certification - Flavor Characteristics and Processing Methods of Tanzania Dom Kilimanjaro AA Coffee Beans? How Are Tanzania Raw Beans Processed?

Kilimanjaro coffee is grown on the volcanic slopes of the highest peak in northeastern Tanzania on the African continent, exhibiting distinctive flavors with a lovely body and bright acidity, making it one of Africa's finest coffees. Kilimanjaro is considered Africa's premier high-altitude coffee region and can be regarded as the representative masterpiece of Tanzanian coffee, with the vast majority of coffee beans still processed using the high-cost washed method. Tanzania's coffee growing areas are located in the northern, southern, and western regions, but the best quality and best-performing coffee is from the Kilimanjaro volcanic region in the north. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain at 5,896 meters elevation, adjacent to the equator, with year-round snow on its summit. Overall, Tanzania AA - Kilimanjaro volcanic beans, due to volcanic soil, geographical environment, and high-altitude temperature differences, exhibit flavor characteristics with lemon aroma, fruit aroma, and strong, lasting fragrance. Of course, different roast levels produce different taste profiles.

Dom Tanzania series Kilimanjaro AA grows at the foot of Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, possessing rich organic matter. Some coffee trees planted here even have over 100 years of history. Coffee farmers all use traditional manual harvesting, with stable quality and compared to Kenyan coffee, it has smoother and milder characteristics, making it a favorite among Japanese people for many years.

Kilimanjaro Coffee Harvest and Processing:

If properly cared for, Kilimanjaro Mountain is clearly one of the best coffees on Earth. With Kilimanjaro Mountain coffee, however, relative to Kenyan coffee, there are concerns about proper harvesting and processing of coffee beans. The problem is the lack of coffee-related infrastructure in the Kilimanjaro Mountain region, which is not as advanced as Kenya's.

A deeper issue is the lack of attention to coffee beans by Kilimanjaro coffee farmers throughout the coffee bean stage.

Therefore, although it's not difficult to find and purchase Kilimanjaro coffee, it's still hard to find genuine Kilimanjaro coffee. Hopefully, this situation will improve in the future with better care for the region's coffee beans.

Currently, coffee growers only have the motivation to separate and sell peaberry coffee beans from the region, which has already obtained high prices. The coffee farmers typically have little concern for how these coffee beans are treated.

Buying Kilimanjaro Coffee:

When looking to purchase quality Tanzanian Kilimanjaro coffee, it's best to find a Kilimanjaro coffee that originates from the region, with records of high-quality care during coffee bean harvesting and processing, as well as everything from aging to transporting beans until the goods arrive in your mailbox.

The coffee's chain of custody is long - it goes through many steps and passes through many hands before reaching you - and many things can go wrong that might contaminate the coffee beans' quality, thereby affecting the coffee beans' taste and aroma. The resulting roasted, ground, and brewed coffee.

Kilimanjaro Coffee Politics:

Coffee politics in the Kilimanjaro region remains fragile. A bit of history: for example, in 2005, Peet's Coffee & Tea introduced Tanzanian Kilimanjaro coffee, and they purchased coffee from 839 small-scale growers who were able to sell directly to gourmet coffee roasters for the second consecutive year, bypassing the national coffee auction.

In 2000, Peet's began working with the Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffee Growers Association (KILICAFE), and by 2005, the association had grown to include more than 8,000 small-scale farmers.

Flavor Description:

The entire coffee growing region is adjacent to Kenya, so the coffee beans' taste is somewhat similar to Kenyan AA. Plum, apricot, overall balanced flavor with relatively smooth acidity.

Kilimanjaro Indigenous Cooperatives:

The Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (KNCU) is Africa's oldest cooperative, and coffee is their most important economic crop. They grow large amounts of Kilimanjaro Mountain's volcanic soil, producing wet-processed (washed) Arabica coffee. The coffee trees are often intercropped with bananas.

More than 150,000 small farmers from nearly 100 rural societies supply KNCU with about 5,300 tons of Arabica coffee. This coffee accounts for about 60% of the region's coffee, but this differs from providing competitive markets and private trade agreements.

KNCU is registered as a Fair Trade supplier and exports some coffee beans as Fair Trade coffee. The coffee collected and traded by KNCU accounts for about 11% of the national coffee total production. KNCU also supports staff in providing organic coffee development, training, and inspection, working with farmers to improve quality and yield while helping the environment and farmers obtain higher profits.

The program selected more than 2,000 small Kilimanjaro coffee farm owners, including Moshi coffee farmers and mountain indigenous people, who are known as the Wachagga people and speak Bantu languages. They are Tanzania's third largest ethnic group.

The Wachagga mainly live on the eastern and southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro as well as Mount Meru and the Moshi region. They have successfully used extensive irrigation systems, fertilization, and other agricultural methods for over a thousand years.

The fertile soil of the Kilimanjaro Mountain region, along with adequate rainfall and a mild climate, provides optimal conditions for the region's many small coffee farms, known as shambas, where coffee is often interwoven with bananas.

The region's organic quality farmers help protect the fertility of volcanic soil while maintaining shade trees. Due to the elimination of intensive chemical agriculture, coffee farmers obtain higher profits as well as reduced health risks.

The KNCU program was completed in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa (EPOPA), established in 1994.

Coffee Details:

Country: Tanzania

Name: Dom Kilimanjaro AA

Region: Kilimanjaro Estate

Grade: AA

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Arabica

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g water, pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time around 2:00 minutes.

Analysis: Using a three-stage pour to clearly define the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, pausing during pouring can help extend extraction time.

Important Notice :

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