Tanzanian Coffee Estates Flavor Profile of Karatu Coffee Estate Beans

Tanzanian Coffee: A Historical Overview

Coffee was introduced to the Tanzania region from what is now Ethiopia in the 16th century. At first the region did not actually cultivate coffee for drinking but used it as a stimulant. According to local oral tradition, the Haya tribe, in the modern Kagera region of northwestern Tanzania, was the only recorded tribe to make use of coffee beans. The tribe would boil Robusta beans and steam them with various herbs, then chew the mixture as a stimulant. The tribe also used coffee beans as a form of currency, with the cultivation and growing of coffee tightly controlled by tribal leaders.

Tanzanian Coffee Flavor Profile

When conversation turns to Tanzanian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's specialty Tanzanian Kilimanjaro coffee also comes from this nation. FrontStreet Coffee would like to introduce several Tanzanian coffee estates. The flavor acidity of Tanzanian coffee is similar to that of Kenyan coffee.

Karatu Coffee Estate

Karatu Coffee Estate is located in the ring area of the Ngorongoro Crater in the Karatu region, approximately 100 miles north of Arusha city. The region is covered with fertile volcanic soil, making coffee growing conditions very ideal. The area runs on a long single-year production cycle, with a harvest period from August to January.

The main coffee variety grown at Karatu is the traditional N39 (Bourbon), which accounts for over 99% of all their plants. The estate uses both dry and wet processing methods. This wet-processed coffee is picked at peak maturity, promptly pulped, fermented, washed, and then gently sun-dried on raised drying beds.

This coffee is balanced without being bland. As it slowly cools, the flavor becomes sweeter and more complex.

Mondul Coffee Estates

Mondul Coffee Estates is located on the slopes of Monduli in the northern highlands of Tanzania. These estates are approximately 23 kilometers from Arusha city, a major international diplomatic center with many community gatherings. The city is part of the northern wildlife safari circuit, close to some of the largest national parks, such as Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Mondul Coffee Estates was founded in 1931 by the Davico family, who brought coffee from Ethiopia. The coffee grows between elevations of 1,600 to 1,800 meters. The estate covers 511 hectares in total, with more than 230 hectares planted with coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Tanzanian coffee is prized for its brightness, and its acidity is often compared to Kenya's. If that style of vivid East African acidity is what you enjoy, FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe daily bean from neighboring Ethiopia is a fine place to start. Familiar for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like quality at an accessible price, it has become the first specialty coffee for many newcomers, and because the washed process removes the fruit before drying, the bean's own aromatics show through clearly, giving a clean, elegant cup that drinks like a refreshing glass of lemon tea.

For a fruitier, more layered East African expression, FrontStreet's Huakui comes from the Hambella area of Guji in Sidamo, where a 200-hectare farm uses traditional natural processing. To keep the cherries from molding or picking up earthy off-flavors during drying, workers spread the ripe fruit on raised beds for 21 days, turning it constantly for even exposure and moisture loss, hand-sorting out defective and moldy beans every three to five days, then removing the dried skin with a huller and giving the green beans one final sort. Because the fruit and skin stay on through drying, a medium-light roast yields a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa, and a little spice, a thick body, and a persistent finish.

If you prefer a cleaner, naturally processed cup, FrontStreet's Red Cherry uses a full-red-cherry natural method that takes only fully ripe, sound cherries. They are sorted once and spread on raised beds to sun-dry, turned every 2-3 hours in the first days to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation, and after three to five weeks the dried pulp is removed by machine and the beans moved into storage. Carrying the classic Yirgacheffe character with the tropical fruit of a natural process, it shows citrus-like acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.