The Story of Tanzania Coffee Bean producing area the cooking and flavor characteristics of Tanzanian coffee bean

Tanzania is an East African country, and Tanzania has a wide planting area of coffee beans. Qianjie believes that Tanzanian coffee has a more prominent aroma than ordinary coffee beans, unique fine and rich taste, rich oil but extremely refreshing, with forest-like wild aroma with caramel-like sweet, elegant and rich cream chocolate aroma, mellow fruit aroma, delicate and long finish, slightly cool and slightly almond flavor, similar to the acidity of Kenya coffee red wine. When it comes to Tanzanian coffee, Qianjie believes that coffee produced in the Kilimanjaro area must be mentioned. It is located in northeastern Tanzania and is the highest mountain in Africa. Coffee in this region is also the best representative of Tanzanian coffee beans and accounts for 75% of coffee production in Tanzania.

Kilimanjaro Coffee

Kilimanjaro Coffee grows on the volcanic slopes of the highest mountains in northeastern Tanzania. It has a unique flavor of origin, good mellow thickness and bright acidity, which makes it one of the best coffee in Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro is not only the highest mountain in Africa, but also the second largest crater in the world. You know, the soil of volcanic ash is an excellent nourishment for coffee beans. On the other hand, the volcanic soil of the Kilimanjaro mountain is fertile, weakly acidic and well drained, and the combination of climate and geology makes the coffee flavor rich.

In addition, Africa always gives the impression that the temperature is hot and the humidity is dry all the year round. This is really a big misunderstanding. Take Mount Kilimanjaro as an example. Although the temperature in the mountain can be as high as 59 degrees Celsius, the peak can be covered with snow all the year round, up to minus 34 degrees Celsius, so Mount Kilimanjaro is also known as the "equatorial snow peak." In terms of rainfall, the annual precipitation in the river valley can reach 800mm to 900mm; the mountains are cool and rainy, with an annual rainfall of 1600 to 1800 mm on the windward slope. Growing in the climatic and geographical environment provided by this "equatorial snow peak", one or two can guess how the flavor of coffee is particularly.

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania has a slightly lower body and acidity than its closest relative, Kenya AA Coffee, but still shows a very good mellow thickness and brightness, as well as a delicate balance and a refreshing cup of coffee. Kilimanjaro coffee is also milder than Kenyan coffee, often showing a smooth, velvety texture with a hint of blackcurrant. Kilimanjaro coffee is rich in flavor, reflecting many advantages of Kenyan coffee, and is one of the top quality coffee in the world.

Coffee harvesting and processing in Mount Kilimanjaro

If you take good care of it, Mount Kilimanjaro is undoubtedly one of the best coffee in the world. However, unlike Kenyan coffee, Mount Kilimanjaro pays more attention to the proper harvest and processing of coffee beans. The problem is the lack of coffee-related infrastructure in Mount Kilimanjaro, which is far less advanced than Kenya. A deeper problem is that coffee growers on Mount Kilimanjaro lack motivation and are very careful at all stages of coffee beans.

Therefore, although it is not difficult to find and buy Kilimanjaro coffee, it is relatively difficult to find the real Kilimanjaro coffee. It is hoped that this situation will improve in the future, as coffee beans in the region are better cared for. At present, coffee growers have only an incentive to separate and sell small coffee beans from the region, which has earned a premium. Coffee farmers usually don't care much about what to do with the beans.

Notes on buying Kilimanjaro Coffee

When you want to buy high-quality Tanzanian Kilimanjaro coffee, you'd better find a single Kilimanjaro coffee producing area. During the harvest and processing of coffee beans, from the aging of coffee beans to transportation, until they reach your mailbox, there are high-quality care records.

Coffee has a long chain of custody, it goes through many steps and goes through a lot of hands on you before there are many things that can go wrong and may pollute the quality of coffee beans, resulting in roasted flavor and aroma.

Kilimanjaro coffee politics

Coffee politics in the Kilimanjaro region is still fragile. There's a little bit of history: in 2005, for example, Pete Coffee and Tea launched a Tanzanian coffee bean from Mount Kilimanjaro, which they bought from 839 small-scale growers for the second year in a row, they can sell it directly to coffee roasters without having to participate in a national coffee auction.

In 2000, Peet began working with the Mount Kilimanjaro Professional Coffee Growers Association (KILICAFE), which had grown to more than 8000 small coffee growers by 2005.

One of the goals is to improve the quality and consistency of Kilimanjaro coffee beans. By bypassing national coffee auctions and selling directly to coffee roasters, farmers get higher prices, and the quality of gourmet coffee has been greatly improved.

In the past, the Kilimanjaro Coffee Growers Association (KiliCafe) was part of the Starbucks Coffee and Farmers' Rights (CAFE) program, which established long-term production best practices.

Kilimanjaro Federation of Local Cooperatives

The Federation of Local Cooperatives of Mount Kilimanjaro (KNCU) is the oldest cooperative in Africa, and coffee is their most important cash crop. They grow on the volcanic soil of Mount Kilimanjaro to produce wet-treated (washed) Arabica coffee. Coffee trees often interplant bananas.

More than 150000 smallholder farmers from nearly 100 rural societies provided KNCU with about 5300 tons of Arabica coffee. This coffee accounts for about 60 per cent of coffee in the region, although this proportion varies depending on the market and private trade agreements that provide competition.

KNCU is registered as a Fairtrade supplier and exports some coffee beans in the name of Fairtrade coffee. Coffee collected and traded by KNCU accounts for about 11% of the country's total coffee production. KNCU also supports employees to provide development, training and inspection of organic coffee, working with farmers to improve quality and yield, while helping the environment and farmers to achieve higher profits.

WACHAGGA people of Kilimanjaro

More than 2000 small coffee farmers from Mount Kilimanjaro were selected to participate in the project, including Mosh coffee farmers and the mountain aboriginal Vachaga, who speak Bantu. They are the third largest ethnic group in Tanzania.

The Wakaga live mainly on the eastern and southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as Mount Meru and Mohi. For more than a thousand years, they have been known for their successful use of a wide range of irrigation systems, fertilization and other agricultural methods. The fertile soil, ample rainfall and mild climate in Mount Kilimanjaro provide the best conditions for many small coffee farms in the region known as shambas, where coffee is usually intercropped with bananas.

High-quality organic farmers in the area help protect the fertility of the volcanic soil and preserve the trees under the shade. As a result of the elimination of intensive cultivation, coffee farmers have made higher profits and reduced health risks.

Harvest coffee on Mount Kilimanjaro

At 5334 feet (5893 meters) above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding peak in the world. The coffee harvest season in Mount Kilimanjaro lasts from October to February. About 1 million people live on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, where coffee cultivation is the only source of income for many. Recently, weather patterns that have changed due to climate change and temperature change have led to coffee leaf rust (locally known as "Roa"), which has destroyed more than 90 per cent of trees-enough for the local government to declare a state of emergency.

Qianjie coffee takes Kilimanjaro, a Tanzanian coffee bean, as an example to brew and taste the flavor.

Coffee roasting advice on Qianjie:

This Tanzanian coffee is a uniform size of large coffee beans, the color is grayish green, compared with a strong sour and sweet flavor, excellent flavor. Medium and shallow baking will give off a sweet taste and a light sour taste.

Enter the bean temperature: 170 °C, turn yellow point: 6 °30150.8 °C, 1 explosion: 10 °16182.7 °C, 1 °45 seconds, 193 °C.

Qianjie coffee brewing parameters

Filter cup: V60

Powder / water ratio: 1:15

Water temperature: 91 degrees

Degree of grinding: BG#5G

The method of brewing coffee in Qianjie

30 grams-125 grams-225 grams. 30 grams of water is steamed for 30 seconds, and 125 grams of water is injected around the circle at the end of steaming. Wait for the water level to drop to half, and continue to inject 225 grams of water around the circle.

Description of coffee flavor in Qianjie

Dry aroma: caramel; wet fragrance: berries; flavor: imported citrus, honey, berries, tea.