Tanzania Mbeya – Usongwe Cooperative – Washed Peaberry

Description

A very nice aggregate coffee from within the Mbeya region. Clean, rich and spicy. Tanz Peaberry has always been high on our list since our early days here at Burman Coffee. A little fuller roast on these peaberries gives an awesome and clean chocolaty cup, hints of spice for sure, almost closer to a Central cup than a Kenya or Ethiopian. Lighter roasts are a bit more sizzling and easy to tell an African cup.

This in an aggregate production coffee, similar to many African offerings. Sourced from family-owned farms, blended and screened for taste.

Tanzania contains lowest and highest elevations in all of Africa, the floor of Lake Tanganyika (352 meters below sea level) and Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters above sea level) are both located in Tanzania. This coffee growing region is south of these extreme landmarks, formed on the slopes of Mount Rungwe. The rounder shaped peaberry, formed from the maturation of one seed per cherry rather than the typical two seeds, is meticulously sorted during the milling process for its distinct flavor profiles.

Tasting Notes: A great example of a Tanz PB. A milder and smoother version of its Kenya cousin. Stronger acidity at the lighter roast points, sweet lemon that fades into a grapefruit like tone, very floral with just a hint of an earthy/herbal/chocolaty darker tone.  Right at first crack will be pretty acidic and front loaded. Medium roasts were our favorite, smooth with bakers chocolate spice and still clearly present citric/floral acidity, very drinkable but if you don’t like acidity, best to take a little darker. Touching or just into 2nd crack is always a good mark for Tanz PB, gets fuller bodied with a cool sweeter smoky note mixing in the mostly chocolaty cup profile, retains its smoothness which many love.

Roasting Notes: Typically a medium to dark roast coffee, only those who like acidity will prefer it lighter roasted. Fuller roasts bring out the wonderful chocolaty spice notes without all the herbal tea like stuff that comes along with so many other Africans.

Usongwe Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS) was registered in 1993 under the Tanzanian cooperative act – though the group’s originators go back even before the creation of the AMCOS system in Tanzania, when all coffee groups were organized under state-regulated unions. The group takes its name takes its name from the surrounding area and the nearby Usongwe valley, which is populated with smallholder farmers and tiny villages. Today, the group has grown to represent 520 smallholder farmers from all around the county of Iwindi in rural Mbeya.