Tanzania Coffee – A Fruity, Aromatic Delight
Tanzania Coffee is a medium strength origin coffee, with wonderful complex flavours and a divine aroma. African coffees are generally known for being deliciously fruity and sweet, and Tanzania Coffee delivers all this and more. It has been variously described as having sweet berry flavours, being intense and creamy, soft, floral, rich and interesting, with a bright and lively acidity. It is a particularly aromatic coffee, and perfect to brew in a cafetière or filter machine.
Tanzania is an East African country that shares its borders with Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Indian Ocean. It is home to a number of national parks, notably the Serengeti National Park, known for its abundance of wildlife species, as well as the spectacle of the annual wildebeest migration. Swahili is the national language of Tanzania, but there are believed to be more than a hundred languages spoken there.
Coffee is thought to have been first introduced to Tanzania in the 16th century from Ethiopia, and used by the Haya people as a stimulant, that was chewed rather than brewed as a drink. They also used coffee as currency. Arabica seedlings were first cultivated commercially in the early 20th century, when the country was under German colonial rule. After the First World War, the British took control of Tanzania (then called Tanganyika), and in 1961 the country was granted independence. It has taken many years for coffee production to increase in Tanzania and become a successful industry, but now coffee is one of its main agricultural exports, along with tobacco, cashew nuts, tea, cloves and cotton. The Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) was set up almost 20 years ago, with the purpose of rejuvenating the coffee industry by providing advice and education to farmers on advanced technology and best practices in coffee farming. New coffee plants that are resistant to disease have also been planted as part of the initiative.
Most of the coffee produced in Tanzania is grown on smallholder farms in highland regions, where the altitude, mild climate with adequate rainfall, and mineral-rich soil are favourable conditions for growing high quality coffee. Mount Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Arusha, Ngara, Bukoba, Morogoro and the Usambara Mountains are just some of these areas. Arabica is the predominant crop, but Robusta beans are also grown, particularly in the Kagera region. On many farms coffee plants are intercropped with banana trees, effectively shading them from the harsh rays of the sun.
Tanzania Coffee is just one of many fabulous origin coffees from around the world for you to try. At Coffee-Direct.co.uk we roast to order, so your coffee will always arrive in the freshest condition possible, and offer a range of grind options as well as whole beans. We also offer a sumptuous range of teas, as well as our ever-popular coffee gift hampers.