Tanzania Peaberry Kilimanjaro

Slightly larger than the land mass of California, Oregon and Washington, Tanzania is bordered east by an 885 mile Indian Ocean coastline, north/northeast by Kenya, north by Uganda and Lake Victoria, northeast by Rwanda and Burundi, west by the 1,136 mile Lake Tanganyika coastline, southwest by Zambia, Malawi and Lake Malawi, south by Mozambique with the insular semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar 16-31 miles off the eastern coast in the Indian Ocean.  At the heart of the “African Great Lakes” system, with significant coastlines on Lake Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi, historical ample arable land has allowed Tanzania to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas on Earth with Lake Victoria providing the Nile River’s primordial source and underwriting alluvial agricultural abundance before finding terminus in the Mediterranean Sea.

With seven designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and six other nominated sites, this country is undoubtedly one of the most desired tourist destinations on the planet. Mention of Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, conjures visions of an adrenaline laden lion encounter. Zanzibar, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, summons the Casbah’s wandering streets, the intoxicating allure of exotic spices and visions of romantic possibility.  Hemingway writes of safari in the 1935 “Green Hills of Africa” and irradiates the conceivable encounter with mortality in the 1936 short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” opening with the enigmatic western summit named Ngaje Ngai, the House of God and ending with Harry’s, the stories main antagonist, final existential vision of Kilimanjaro’s snowcapped peaks.

If we start our journey in Cario and motor along the 6,355-mile Cairo-Cape Town Highway, around mile marker 3251 we enter Kilimanjaro Province, the land of Hemingway’s inspiration and origin of our Peaberry Kilimanjaro. Our coffee is cultivated among bananas’ and avocados and blended from the thousands of 2.5-5-acre familial farms located in in the Hai, Moshi and Meru districts in the 50-mile corridor between the towns of Moshi and Arusha.

Concerning the Peaberry… there is a bit of a debate. The Peaberry, found in only 5-10 percent of a regular harvest, is a mutation of only one seed compared to the usual two seeds found in the coffee cherry.  This results in the Peaberry being more rounded, hence its name, than the usually flat coffee bean. Due to only one seed compared to two requiring nurture, some pundits claim the Peaberry is of richer character with the additional benefit of the beans “roundness” allowing for more uniform development in the roast. Others counter that the environmental harshness and lack of nutrients are causalities for stunted one seed development contributing to uneven maturation and development. Some claim the humble Peaberry is special, and others cry overrated. Frankly when properly processed, as our coffee exhibits, the Peaberry does closely resemble characteristics of the regular bean when causally approached. Besides the mutation, there are many extra labors, adding to expenses, that must be undertaken to cull the elusive Peaberry, which most certainly add to quality.

Frankly, whether the result of nurture, process or both, we believe the Peaberry’s additional qualities are indeed subtly present, and it is precisely this refinement which we pursue. It is this restrained search of and spark to the human psyche that expands vision and perception… it is why we seek to experience rather than simply consume. Peaberry Kilimanjaro exhibits an exotic “bravado” reflecting the environment… spicy, fruity and wine-like… intensively earthy dark sweet aromas of honey and berries. Taste is again earthy of wild dark berries with a dry finish of dark chocolate… black tea tannic qualities… a bit ruminating of leather. Whether trying to dig deeper in your explorations or casually enjoy an excellent brew, this experience is well worth the effort.

 Process: Washed… removal of all cherry fruit with the bean dried

Elevation: 3609-5577 feet