Which Starbucks Coffee Tastes Best | Malawi Coffee - Sable Farm | Coffee Beans for Pour-Over Coffee

Malawi Republic

The Republic of Malawi (in Chichewa, Dziko la Malawi; in English, the Republic of Malawi) lies in southeastern Africa and is a landlocked country bordered by Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia. It covers 118,000 square kilometers and has a population of 15.118 million. Malawi takes its name from Lake Malawi, Africa's third-largest lake, which spans 30,000 square kilometers and reaches depths of more than 700 meters.

Malawi is one of the world's least developed countries and leans heavily on international aid. Its economy is mainly agricultural, with key cash crops including tobacco, coffee, tea, cotton, and sugarcane. Formerly a British colony, Malawi stayed in the Commonwealth after independence and remains deeply influenced by Britain, following British models in administration, justice, and education. Today Britain is still its most important aid provider.

Sable Farm, Malawi

Sable Farm

So you might ask, why does such a small place appear so often in Starbucks Reserve? The consistently excellent coffee from Sable Farm reflects the local farmers' unwavering commitment to their craft. With little infrastructure, the inland southern region of Malawi is not an easy place to grow coffee. Even so, the farmers there have poured their effort and limited resources into precise drip irrigation, solar dryers that save energy while drying the beans, waste composting, water recycling and filtration, and regular soil monitoring. Every step of their processing reflects respect for the local environment, and they extend that same philosophy to the community.

In 2016, Starbucks also took a series of steps to support infrastructure in the Malawi region.

Community Support

Water purification devices built by Starbucks for schools

Before, teachers and students at the school could only drink water from nearby streams, with a high risk of waterborne disease. Starbucks helped them build purification systems so they could drink clean water instead.

At the same time, Starbucks also helped renovate dormitories for teachers and students.

Coffee Bean Information

Origin: Africa - Malawi - Sable Farm

Processing Method: Washed

Altitude: 1,200m

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Acidity: Medium Body: Low

Description: Citrus, cranberry, milk chocolate

Brewing Guide

1. Classic Pour-Over (Cold)

Ditting 5.5 setting, 30g coffee, 200g water (my hand slipped and I added 1g extra), 220g ice.

Description: citrus, berry, milk chocolate flavor.

2. Six-Cup Chemex (Hot)

Ditting 8 setting, 21g coffee, 340g water (55g, 75g, 70g, 70g, 70g).

Description: citrus, berry, a relatively full body, milk chocolate flavor, long aftertaste.

3. Simple Hand Drip

Ditting 6 setting, 16g coffee, 192g water, water-to-coffee ratio 12:1.

Description: citrus, berry, slightly tea-like, chocolate aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Malawi's citrus-and-cranberry brightness has a natural cousin in FrontStreet's Kenya Cherry Tomato. Grown in Thika between 1,550 and 1,750 meters from the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, it goes through Kenya's 72-hour double washed fermentation and is roasted light to preserve its lively acidity. The dry aroma brings cherry tomato and flowers; the cup opens with ripe cherry tomato and black plum, a solid, juice-like body, and a clean finish of brown sugar and green tea.

For a fruitier, more tropical counterpoint, try FrontStreet's Ethiopia Hua Kui. A naturally processed lot from the Hambella area of Guji, grown around 2,280 meters, it shows cantaloupe and fermented-wine aromas with strawberry jam, a gentle jackfruit-like acidity on entry, and strawberry and sugarcane sweetness through the finish.