How does kilimanjaro coffee get its AA grade and flavor?

Tanzania grades coffee by bean size, the same system Kenya uses, and AA is the top class. Kilimanjaro coffee comes from the northern highlands volcanic area, grown between 1300 and 2000 meters. The Typica variety, washed processing and that altitude together produce citrus, berry, honey and tea-like notes in the cup.

Altitude, climate and soil shape flavor, and so do variety and processing. Volcanic soil around Kilimanjaro feeds the Typica trees, while washing keeps the profile clean. Kili coffee is often overlooked next to Ethiopia and Kenya, yet the AA grade, consistent sizing and careful processing give it a distinct place in African specialty coffee.

In the landscape of African specialty coffee, Ethiopia and Kenya are often mentioned, while Tanzania tends to be overlooked. In fact, Tanzanian coffee is equally worthy of attention—its grading system is consistent with Kenya's, based on bean size, with the highest grade also being AA. This Tanzania Kilimanjaro AA brought in by Front Street Coffee comes from the volcanic region of the northern highlands, is of the Typica variety, and is wet-processed. This article will systematically sort out the flavor causes of this bean from four dimensions: growing conditions, variety characteristics, processing methods, and grading standards, and will also include Front Street's recommended pour-over parameters and brewing performance, to help coffee lovers fully understand the unique charm of Tanzanian coffee.

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When it comes to African coffee, the beans of Ethiopia and Kenya are the first to come to most people's minds, while Tanzania is rarely mentioned. So how good is Tanzanian coffee, really? According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), Tanzania adopts the same standard as Kenya for coffee bean grading, also classifying by bean size, with the highest grade likewise named AA. For this reason, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) specially brought in Tanzania AA-grade beans. In this article, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will introduce you to the flavor characteristics and the story behind this Tanzania AA coffee bean.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Tanzania Kilimanjaro AA coffee beans

Country: Tanzania Region: Northern Highlands, Kilimanjaro volcanic area Altitude: 1300-2000m Variety: Typica Grade: AA Processing method: Washed Flavor: Citrus, berries, honey, tea-like

As shown above, this bean comes from the Kilimanjaro volcanic area. Coffee, as a crop, has a flavor expression inseparable from its growing environment—factors such as altitude, climate conditions, and soil composition all influence the final taste of the coffee beans. In addition, coffee variety and processing method also have a significant impact on flavor. Below, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will analyze how the flavor of this Tanzanian coffee is formed from these three aspects.

Growing conditions for Tanzanian coffee beans

Tanzania is not far from Ethiopia and also borders Kenya, so people in some parts of Tanzania have deep historical and cultural ties with coffee. However, commercial cultivation of coffee in Tanzania started relatively late, only truly beginning in the early twentieth century. At that time, German colonists required local farmers to grow Arabica coffee as a cash crop, vigorously promoting it within Tanzania and developing related industries around Mount Kilimanjaro.

According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), although Tanzanian coffee is less well-known than Kenyan beans, its annual output is actually roughly comparable to Kenya's, reaching around 50,000 tons. The earliest Arabica seeds were introduced from the French island of Réunion and were first planted in the two producing regions of Bayamoyo and Mogoro. In 1893, beans planted on the slopes of Kilimanjaro became the most successful case. Later, in the 1950s, other varieties were successively introduced from neighboring Burundi and planted in western Tanzania. At present, Tanzanian coffee is mainly grown in high-altitude areas, accounting for about 75%, while wild coffee trees are still being discovered.

What are the characteristics of the Kilimanjaro coffee-producing region?

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent, and most coffee beans in this producing region are grown on mountain slopes between 1,300 and 2,000 meters above sea level. This mountain has fertile volcanic soil, providing ideal conditions for the growth of high-quality Arabica coffee. At the same time, Kilimanjaro is Tanzania's largest coffee-producing region, and Kilimanjaro coffee is also an important pillar of the country's economy.

Tanzanian coffee bean varieties

As mentioned earlier, this Kilimanjaro coffee is of the Bourbon variety—which is also the most widely planted coffee variety in Tanzania. According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), Bourbon coffee beans were introduced to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro region by Catholic missionaries in 1898. Then in 1920, the Kent variety was also introduced. Therefore, to this day, Tanzanian coffee still mainly grows Bourbon and Kent as its primary varieties. So what are the flavor characteristics of Bourbon coffee beans?

Bourbon coffee beans:

Bourbon is an old variety belonging to the same Arabica species as Typica. Bourbon coffee was first planted on Réunion Island, which was called Île Bourbon (le Bourbon) before 1789, and the coffee variety was named after it.

Although both are old varieties, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has observed some differences between Bourbon and Typica: Bourbon's leaves are broader than Typica's, its growth is denser, and its yield is about 30% higher than Typica's. The beans are rounder and shorter, with a rich and full berry acidity, outstanding creaminess and aroma, strong acidic aroma, and obvious fruity acidity. But it also shares the shortcoming of weaker disease resistance.

In simple terms, Bourbon is a branch variety under the Arabica species, usually bearing red fruit, called Red Bourbon. There are also variants such as Yellow Bourbon and Pink Bourbon.

The green beans of Front Street Tanzania Kilimanjaro are uniform in size in appearance, slightly elongated in bean shape, and plump, showing the typical Ethiopian Typica bean-shape characteristics. Commonly grown coffee varieties in the Tanzania region include Bourbon, Typica, and Kent. The variety of this Front Street Tanzanian coffee is precisely Typica, one of the old varieties, whose flavor performance is extremely outstanding and is recognized as a specialty coffee variety, with the only shortcoming being its low yield and susceptibility to leaf rust.

Tanzanian coffee bean processing method

As mentioned above, this coffee bean is wet-processed. According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee), washed processing is also the method most commonly used by Tanzanian coffee farmers. The greatest advantage of the washed processing method is that it can make the coffee beans' original flavor fresher and brighter, and the mouthfeel is also very clean.

Specific steps of the washed processing method:

1. Screen and remove impurities mixed in with the coffee cherries. 2. Remove the coffee pulp and outer skin. 3. Send into fermentation tanks and ferment for 18 to 36 hours to remove the pectin layer attached to the parchment. 4. After washing clean, carry out drying.

Tanzanian coffee grading

As Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) mentioned above, Tanzania's coffee grading method is the same as Kenya's, both based on the size of the coffee beans. During screening, green coffee beans are passed through screens with fixed-size holes; the larger the screen number, the larger the green coffee bean.

AA grade: Screen Size between 17 and 18 (7.20mm screen) AB grade: Screen Size between 15 and 16 (6.8mm~6.2mm screen) PB grade: Round green beans, accounting for about 10% of all coffee beans C grade: Screen Size between 12 and 14 (4.8mm~5.6mm screen)

The Tanzania coffee bean brought in by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) is graded AA, the highest grade in the country. So how does it taste when brewed by pour-over? Below, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) will share the pour-over parameters and flavor performance of this bean.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) Tanzania Kilimanjaro coffee bean pour-over recommendation

Front Street recommends using a V60 conical dripper. The V60 has a larger opening, and combined with its unique spiral curved rib design, air is more easily released, thereby improving extraction quality. The mouthfeel may not be full-bodied enough, but the Kilimanjaro sweetness and bright aroma brought by the high concentration are precisely one of its highlights.

Water temperature: 90-91°C Grind size: fine sugar size / No. 20 sieve bowl sifting to 80% Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Coffee dose: 15 grams

Brewing method: staged extraction.

First, bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds. For the second pour, pour in a small stream in circles until 125 grams, then stop. After the water level drops, slowly pour again, keeping the speed even; the water level should not be too high. Pour again until 225 grams and stop. Extraction time is 2 minutes 03 seconds (including bloom time).

Brewed flavor: Berry aroma, soft citrus acidity on entry, nuts in the middle, honey-like finish.

The above is what Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) has compiled regarding the flavor characteristics and story of Tanzania AA coffee beans. We hope this article can help coffee lovers gain a deeper understanding of Tanzanian coffee-related knowledge, so that in the future they can choose coffee beans suited to their own taste.

So how much does a cup of Tanzania Kilimanjaro AA coffee cost? Based on Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreetCoffee) current pricing, a cup of Tanzania Kilimanjaro pour-over coffee sells for 30 yuan. We hope this price can provide some reference for coffee lovers.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.