How is Tanzanian Coffee? Pour-Over Recommendations for Tanzanian Coffee and Flavor Profile

For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

When mentioning African coffee, countries like Ethiopia and Kenya often come to mind. But have you ever heard of Tanzanian coffee? Or perhaps Kilimanjaro coffee? Today, FrontStreet Coffee invites you to explore Tanzania with us and discover what makes the coffee from this region so unique!

Tanzania Coffee

Tanzania is located close to Ethiopia and adjacent to Kenya. As a result, some of Tanzania's population shares a long historical and cultural connection with coffee. However, commercial coffee cultivation in Tanzania didn't begin until the early 20th century when German colonizers required local farmers to grow Arabica coffee as a cash crop, promoting this plant throughout Tanzania and developing industry near Mount Kilimanjaro.

After World War I, Germany handed over colonial control to the British, who attempted to develop a more efficient and profitable coffee industry along Kenyan lines. Smallholder cooperatives began organizing in the 1920s to improve market access, but it took many years for Tanzanian coffee to gain international popularity.

In 1964, after both countries gained independence from Britain, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the Republic of Tanzania, hence the name Tanzania. Growers attempted significant growth in the 1970s but struggled to increase production. In the 1990s, reforms and efforts to privatize coffee exports allowed growers to sell coffee more directly. Today, in most of the Western world, Tanzanian coffee is primarily known for its separated peaberry batches.

Kilimanjaro Coffee Growing Region

While 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 the French island of Réunion and planted in the Bayamoyo and Mogoro regions. In 1893, beans grown 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, although local wild coffee continues to appear.

Kilimanjaro is Tanzania's largest coffee-producing region, and Kilimanjaro coffee is also a vital economic lifeline for Tanzania. Kilimanjaro coffee comes from Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain range in northeastern Tanzania. Local smallholder farmers grow coffee at altitudes between 1300-2000m, nurtured by volcanic ash and planted in high-altitude areas, producing excellent quality coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee is deeply interested in Tanzanian Kilimanjaro coffee and has selected Kilimanjaro coffee with distinctive regional flavors from among numerous Tanzanian coffees. This coffee comes from the Kilimanjaro coffee-growing region in the northern part of the country.

FrontStreet Coffee Tanzania Kilimanjaro Coffee

• Region: Northern Highlands, Kilimanjaro Volcanic Region
• Altitude: 1300-2000m
• Variety: Bourbon
• Processing Method: Washed
• Grade: AA

Coffee Varieties

Bourbon is also a natural variety originating from Yemen. Its name comes from its original planting place, Bourbon Island, which is now known as Réunion Island. Bourbon coffee fruits are small, round, with high density in both pulp and seeds. Bourbon coffee typically has high sweetness, bright acidity, and wine-like flavors. Bourbon coffee production is 20-30% higher than Typica, but it's still considered a low-yield variety and is equally susceptible to leaf rust disease.

Washed Processing

Tanzanian coffee is mostly processed using the washed method. After harvesting, coffee farmers send the coffee cherries to the nearest processing plant for processing.

Washed Processing Steps:

1. Screen and remove impurities mixed in the coffee cherries;
2. Remove the coffee pulp and outer skin;
3. Send to fermentation tanks to remove the mucilage layer attached to the inner parchment through fermentation;
4. Clean thoroughly before drying.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Approach

Kilimanjaro coffee consists of uniformly large coffee beans with a gray-green color, exhibiting relatively strong acidity and sweet fragrance, with excellent flavor. FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium-light roast to emphasize the sweetness and light acidity of this coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Notes

The dry aroma of the ground coffee presents honey and vanilla fragrances with a sweet biscuit-like scent. The wet aroma has a more pronounced sweetness of blackberry syrup mixed with spiced sweetness. In cupping, it shows darker fruits and berries, very sweet, with vanilla sweetness appearing in the aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

• Dripper: V60 Dripper
• Water Temperature: 90°C
• Coffee Amount: 15 grams
• Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
• Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (78% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

Segmented Extraction

Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then continue pouring in small circular motions to 125g before segmenting. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for the water level to drop and is about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473