Tanzania - Ngila

We are traversing to Tanzania for the first time! 

Tanzanian coffee can be a bit of an infrequent guest in any speciality coffee roaster's selection - generally down to how little of it we see enter the UK due to it being a smaller player in production these days than counterparts Uganda and Ethiopia, and with a large part of it being produced as low quality Arabica or Robusta. However, the odd selection swings around, and really stuns us, which is exactly what our importing partner, Omwani, and trying to achieve consistently!

Ngila is a small estate in the Arusha region; growing primarily Kent varietal, and processing several different ways - we've opted for a red honey process.

The red honey process in lay-mans terms; is essentially an extended fermentation where in cherries are placed on shaded raised beds after pulping, allowing the mucilage the time to go sticky (like honey) and provide more fermentation and complex flavours to the green coffee, unlike the subtlety of a washed process, and the punch of a natural.

Kent varietal is also relatively uncommon; originating in India as a mutation of the well-known Typica, as a slightly longer bean, with more resistance to leaf rust and disease.

Personally (Ash), my speciality coffee knowledge through my teens was incredibly limited, and was quite restricted to either dark roast or instant coffee, with the speciality coffee boom in the north of the UK only really starting to gain traction through the mid-2010's. One of my first ever truly speciality coffee's was a Tanzanian filter through V60 I had on a trip to London in 2016; I don't remember anything about it, other than it tasting truly like nothing I've had before - so Tanzanian coffee holds a special place in my heart. 

This particular lot from Ngila is rainforest alliance certified and cups at a score of 87. We think this is a true all-rounder, working well for all brewing methods, with notes that match up to that of Almond, Milk Chocolate and Wine Gums. Tasty. 

Process: Red Honey

Location: Ngila Estate, Arusha 

Altitude: 1600 MASL

Flavour Notes: Almond, Milk Chocolate and Blackcurrant

Roast Level: Medium

Varietal: Kent