tanzania

2024 Q1 LTO: Tanzania

Flavor notes: Dark chocolate, caramelized, soft-citrus acidity, creamy body, buttery.


This coffee comes from the Igale AMCOS (the local term for a cooperative, abbreviated from Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society) in the Mbozi district of Songwe. Specifically, 443 producers from the villages of Idiwili, Ilomba, Iyula, Idunda, Ipyana and Igale contributed cherry. This Tanzania Igale Coffee Club Limited Edition is a limited run of 30 kilogram bags of coffee from the Igale AMCOS, in celebration of the Coffee Club at their neighboring high school.

Igale Coffee Club

The Tanzania Igale Coffee Club is an after-school program at the high schools neighboring Igale AMCOS. This program is a three year intensive and hands-on training that offers youth education at all levels of the value chain. The hope is that, in providing the education and practical skills, the young community members will have a tangible and economically viable option in an area with a high rate of unemployment. “If young people want to go to university, that’s wonderful. But if they decide to stay in the area, at least they’ll have knowledge about coffee — and really, more knowledge than the average coffee farmer — and a way to earn an income,” says Christophe Brinker, a trader at NKG Ibero Kenya.

Igale AMCOS

The AMCOS purchased a Penagos eco-pulper in 2019, allowing them to transition from collecting home-processed parchment to collecting cherry. The acquisition of this important equipment is twofold. It has not only allowed for more control over the pulping and drying phases of processing, but it has also served to increase local interest and volume by offering this additional service to local producers.

During the harvest, farmers delivered cherry between 4 and 7 p.m. The pulper was usually turned on around 6 p.m. and would run until around 9 p.m. After being pulped, the parchment was graded into P1, P2, P3, P lights and pods in the washing channels. The P1 and P2 were then fermented for 24 to 48 hours before being washed. The beans then went into tanks to soak for 8 to 12 hours and finally were dried on raised beds for 7 to 14 days.


Other Notes:

Roast – Medium-Light
Area – Songwe (Mbozi district)
Growing Altitude – 5600-5900ft
Type – Washed/Sun dried on raised beds
Variety – Bourbon derivatives