Tanzania's long history of coffee is Tanzania's boutique coffee produced by small enterprises?

Many European powers with a rich coffee history and culture spanning centuries dominate today's global coffee industry. Other countries, such as Colombia, Ethiopia and the United States, also fall into this category. But Tanzania is usually an unnoticed country. Bordering Kenya, another country famous for its coffee, Tanzania does not produce the most coffee beans in the world (although they produce roughly the same as Kenya). They don't have any particularly creative coffee-making methods, such as Turkish or Irish variants. However, they do offer some unique tasting coffee that can be bought anywhere in the world.

Tanzania has a long history of coffee

The birthplace of coffee is not far from Tanzania. According to popular legend, coffee was first consumed in Ethiopia, not by humans, but by a group of goats showing ADHD after eating berries from certain shrubs. When the shepherd realized the potential of these berries, he found the pastor of the nearest church, and the rest was history. There is also Kenyan coffee between Ethiopia and Tanzania, which has long overshadowed the latter in all aspects of coffee. But being so close to these two vibrant coffee cultures is bound to have some impact on local production in Tanzania, and it is true.

What makes Tanzanian coffee so unique?

Ideal weather conditions

Tanzania is blessed with the ideal weather conditions for high-quality coffee to grow continuously. Environmental factors play an important role in growing coffee with decadent flavor and suitable texture. These include adequate altitude, volcanic soil, hot and humid climate and necessary drainage facilities. Tanzania happens to have all of this, enabling it to grow a precious coffee bean called SHB coffee. These beans grow at an altitude of 4500 feet or more. Height is one of the factors most related to coffee quality, and the fertile hilly terrain of Tanzania is perfect for SHB coffee.

Small business production

Another feature that makes Tanzanian coffee so unique is that the vast majority of coffee is produced by small businesses, mainly by households across the country. Knowing that your coffee is not machined by another multinational company, but incorporates the characteristics of how each producer grows coffee, which means that each cup of coffee beans made from Tanzanian coffee beans will taste slightly different. While this inconsistency may be a drawback for some traditionalists and some markets, the obvious humanization adds a unique dimension to Tanzanian coffee.

Grading

The last thing that distinguishes Tanzanian boutique coffee is that in addition to being classified as SHB, Tanzanian coffee is graded according to its size. One of the main ways to sell coffee in Tanzania is through auctions, while larger beans usually get higher prices. The rating gradually decreases as follows: AA, AB, C, and PB. It is not clear whether the larger size has any actual effect on the taste of coffee, but it does for everyone.