Starbucks selects Coffee Bean Story of Chaga Manor in Tanzania traditional cultivation of Coffee beans

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Tanzania-Chaga

Origin: Tanzania, Africa

Processing method: washing method

Alcohol: Medium

Acidity: Medium

Breeds: Bourbon, Kent and Nyasa

Flavor: Floral aromas with orange peel and warm spicy notes

Food pairing: orange, cinnamon

Altitude: 1300-1600 m

Caption: The coffee plantations of the Chaga tribe, located on the revered Mount Kilimanjaro, grow coffee trees that contribute to the elegant aroma of this coffee.

A new year, a new journey of selection

We travel around the world to collect exceptional coffee beans, and only a few rare and unique varieties are known as Starbucks Select ™. They are rare and have a fascinating flavor.

And today we're going to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to share stories from the country of origin.

Impressions of Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is located in northeastern Tanzania. Between the equator and 3 degrees south latitude

Kilimanjaro is known as the "roof of Africa." At 5,895 meters above sea level, it is the highest point in Africa.

·Established as a national park in 1968

Kilimanjaro is also Tanzania's main coffee producer.

·The finest Tanzanian Chagga AA coffee produced in the neighbouring Moshi district is known for its full-grain, aromatic quality.

Tanzanian coffee has long been loved by Europeans and has been given the nickname "coffee gentleman" in Tanzania.

Chaga-Kilimanza ancient tribe

·The Chaga live on the fertile southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania.

·In the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, the Chaga officially settled in the coffee-growing region of Moshi. Traditionally, this land can only be passed on to other chaga tribe members.

Chaga comes from two groups of small farmers: Malangudong and Mivica North (two cooperatives).

Ancient tree species and unique geographical conditions

· Coffee was first cultivated by Christians who introduced bourbon trees from Kenya, and coffee has been a major cash crop since the 1920s.

· For bourbon trees at the foot of Kilimanjaro, some are more than 100 years old.

· Care must be taken, weeds removed and fertilizer applied. Old branches must also be cut to allow new branches to grow to preserve the quality of the beans.

·As the gateway to Mount Kilimanjaro, Chaga village is located in a complex area: the tropical climate here is adjacent to the cold weather of ice and snow, which increases the temperature difference between day and night. This creates a unique climate.

·Bimodal rainfall areas due to blocking the wet monsoon over the Indian Ocean. There are two rainy seasons, a short rainy season from September to December and a long rainy season from March to May. In addition, melting snow from icebergs makes water abundant.

Traditional cultivation by the Chaga tribe

·Chaga people for the convenience of picking and managing coffee trees. They usually live in coffee banana gardens. In the middle of the single-courtyard house, connected with a series of orchards. Coffee beans are processed in their yard. It is then sent to a centralized cleaning station for treatment.

·And small farmers will plant banana trees in their samba (small gardens or plots of farmland) to provide Coffee trees shade the sun. Make full use of each piece of land and plant vegetables under coffee trees. thereby Create a unique coffee crop.

·At the same time, Chaga uses terraced intensive irrigation technology for ice and snow melt water, so that terraces can be cultivated for a long time. Add to that the fertile volcanic soil of Kilimanjaro.

·Gives the coffee here a strong texture and soft acidity. It exudes delicate aromas, with wine and fruit aromas, which are memorable after tasting.

Comparison with neighbouring Kenya

Tanzania is also often compared to its neighbour Kenya.

Tanzania's earliest Arabica coffee was introduced from Kenya by Christians and is closer to Kenya in flavor characteristics. But Tanzania's overall is smoother and softer, belonging to the balanced type. It has a moderately low acidity and sweetness, and a moderate body.

However, Tanzania has poorer production conditions due to its poorer economic conditions compared to Kenya. Tanzania is also not strict enough about quality control, destroying the quality of coffee in many processing steps, and Kenya, which is known for its high quality, cannot compete.

Compared with Kenya, which has outstanding personality, Tanzania is not so rich in hierarchy. After drinking, it will not give feedback on its outstanding characteristics, which makes people not too impressed with it. But on the contrary, its soft and round characteristics are also more pleasing, easy for people who have just come into contact with coffee to accept.

Coffee crisis from within

Age is constantly aging.

Coffee quality is hard to control. It also increases disease.

Reduced inputs, increased production costs and low market returns

At the same time, due to global warming, the disappearance of glaciers is very serious. Some environmental experts pointed out that Kilimanjaro's snow top may completely melt away within 10 years, when Kilimanjaro's unique "equatorial snow mountain" wonder will bid farewell to mankind.

Tanzania-Chaga

The Chaga people have been working this land for nearly a hundred years, passing coffee from generation to generation.

Enjoy a cup of coffee, let us feel the distinctive characteristics, each coffee bean has both Kilimanjaro's unique extraordinary climate and geographical influence, but also the hard work of traditional national agriculture.

Regardless of challenges or crises, we expect and believe Tanzanian coffee will get better.

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