East African Coffee Regions: An Introduction to Tanzania's Coffee Flavors and Main Processing Methods

Geographically, Tanzania borders Kenya, and the two countries use very similar languages, resulting in close interactions between their people. In the specialty coffee circle, although coffee from both regions is sought after by many enthusiasts, Kenyan coffee clearly enjoys much greater fame. FrontStreet Coffee, through comparison, has found that compared to the dark berry notes of Kenyan coffee, Tanzanian coffee offers a softer and gentler taste profile, with moderate acidity complemented by light sweetness, leaving an endless aftertaste.

The Story of Coffee Cultivation in Tanzania

In the earliest days, coffee was introduced from the French island of Reunion, brought by Christian missionaries from Kenya to the Bayamoyo and Mogoro growing regions of Tanzania. Around 1893, coffee trees planted on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, nourished by the fertile soil formed from volcanic eruptions, were successfully harvested. From then on, Tanzania officially began its chapter of coffee cultivation.

In 1911, the colonial government ordered large-scale cultivation of Arabica coffee trees in the Bukoba region. Subsequently, in 1952, the first cooperative was established, named the Kilimanjaro Native Planters' Association (KNRA), and the number of farmers growing coffee trees increased accordingly. During the 1950s, other coffee varieties were also gradually introduced from neighboring Burundi, primarily planted in western Tanzania.

After Tanzania's independence in 1961, it began to focus its economic priorities on the coffee industry and attempted to double coffee production by 1970, though this plan did not achieve its desired outcome. Through the efforts of local industry professionals, Tanzania's annual green coffee bean production now reaches approximately 60,000 tons, half of which is Robusta and half Arabica.

In the past, Tanzania's coffee industry was dominated by estate cultivation and management, but now over 80% is cultivated by small-scale farmers. Many small farmers also form cooperative organizations, among which the Kilimanjaro Cooperative Union (KNCU) holds an important position locally, primarily responsible for controlling the quality of produced coffee. Subsequently, the coffee is acquired by the Tanzanian Coffee Marketing Board (TCMB) and sold to private exporters through auctions.

Kilimanjaro

As one of the East African countries with the richest tourism resources, Tanzania borders three of Africa's great lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi). Mount Kilimanjaro, known as "Africa's highest peak" with an elevation of 5,895 meters, is world-renowned.

Kilimanjaro is a tall mountain range with perennial snow cover, as well as one of the world's highest volcanoes and independent peaks. The base of the entire mountain consists of farmland, with dense rainforests and alpine vegetation in the middle. Looking across, Kilimanjaro also possesses several distinct vegetation zones, from the foothills to the summit: semi-arid shrubland, well-watered farmland, dense cloud forests, open marshlands, alpine deserts, and zones of moss and lichen symbiosis. Such rich and diverse ecological environments not only provide suitable habitats for various rare wild animals to survive and reproduce, but many economic crops also obtain excellent growing conditions as a result.

The Tanzanian coffee that FrontStreet Coffee sources comes from Kilimanjaro, of the ancient heirloom Typica variety, processed using traditional washed methods. After roasting and brewing, it presents a fruit tea profile reminiscent of citrus and honey, accompanied by fresh berry notes, creating an extremely rich layered experience.

FrontStreet Coffee: Tanzania Kilimanjaro Coffee Beans

Region: Northern Highlands, Kilimanjaro Volcanic Region
Variety: Typica
Processing: Washed
Grade: AA
Altitude: 1300-2000m
Brewing Flavor: Citrus, berries, honey, tea-like notes

Main Processing Methods for Tanzanian Coffee

In Tanzania, coffee beans are mostly processed using the washed method. During the mature season of coffee cherries, farmers collectively harvest and pack them for transport to the nearest processing plant for processing.

Washed process steps: After picking, coffee cherries are placed in water, using the water's buoyancy to separate insufficiently ripe fruits. Then, a depulping machine removes the skin/pulp of the berries, and they are left to ferment in fermentation tanks for 18-36 hours until the mucilage layer decomposes. After fermentation is complete, the parchment beans are washed in channels for 30-60 minutes. Through specially designed channels combined with water flow, beans with low specific gravity and poor quality can be removed. The high-quality coffee beans are then drained of moisture and spread out on African-style raised beds for drying.

Because the skin, pulp, and most of the mucilage are removed before formal drying, the inherent aroma of the coffee beans becomes clearer and more transparent, presenting citrus and lemon notes with elegant floral scents, creating an overall bright and delicate flavor profile.

Pour-over Brewing Suggestions for Tanzanian Coffee

When FrontStreet Coffee prepares Tanzanian coffee, they use pour-over methods for extraction. Considering that this Kilimanjaro coffee is roasted to a medium-light level and comes from high-altitude regions with relatively hard bean density, FrontStreet Coffee chooses medium-fine grinding and medium-high water temperature for extraction parameters.

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over parameter recommendations:

Dripper: V60
Water Temperature: 92-93°C
Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Fine sugar consistency (78% retention in #20 sieve)

First pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95g (scale shows around 125g), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows around 225g), completing the pour in about 1 minute 35 seconds. The drip filtration completes at 2'10", remove the dripper to complete extraction.

Brewing flavor of Tanzania Kilimanjaro coffee beans: Berry aroma, gentle citrus acidity upon entry, nutty notes in the middle, honey-like aftertaste.

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