Tanzanian coffee: Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, and how to buy it

Where it grows

Tanzania grows both Arabica and Robusta coffee.

• Kilimanjaro and Arusha. Arabica grown on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, often in small family plots mixed with bananas and shade trees.
• The Southern Highlands. Mbeya, Songwe and Mbinga produce much of the country’s Arabica today, with larger estates and cooperatives.
• Kagera. Around Bukoba near Lake Victoria, mostly Robusta.

Tanzania’s specialty coffee is sold through the national auction in Moshi and, increasingly, through direct trade between cooperatives and roasters.

Peaberry

A coffee cherry usually holds two seeds, flat on one side. Occasionally only one develops, and it grows round. This is a peaberry. Tanzania is known for sorting and selling them separately. Peaberry is not automatically better coffee; it is a sorting grade, and quality still depends on the farm, the altitude and the processing.

Visiting a farm near Moshi

Several villages on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, such as Materuni above Moshi, offer coffee tours run by local families. A typical visit includes:

• A walk through the farm, seeing the plants in flower or fruit depending on the season.
• Hand-pulping, drying and roasting the beans over a fire.
• Pounding them in a mortar, often with singing.
• Drinking the coffee you have just made.

Materuni also has a waterfall a short walk from the farms, which makes it a good half day before or after a climb.

How to buy coffee to take home

• Buy roasted whole beans in a sealed bag with a roast date.
• Look for a named region or cooperative rather than a generic “Kilimanjaro coffee” label.
• Airport shops are convenient but tend to cost more and sell older stock. Buy from a roaster in Moshi or Arusha, or from the farm you visit.