Description
A very cool unique coffee – for fruit forward coffee fans only. This cup is pretty wild and most natural fans will think it to be way cool. High chaff and a bit uneven roasting like most fruit forward natural cups.
Zambia’s Northern Province is home to the country’s highlands, where ancient volcanic soils and natural processing help produce the complex flavor and heavy body of this AAA/AA graded RFA certified coffee. Although wet milling was introduced to the small holder coffee farmers of Mafinga thirty years ago, natural processing has been common throughout the region since the 1950’s, when commercial coffee production began in Zambia, home to the smoke that thunders.
Long before Dr. Livingston arrived to name Victoria Falls after the queen, the people who had lived around this wonder of the natural world for generations had already named it more appropriately, “the smoke that thunders.” The falls thunder into the Zambesi River, which flows east toward Mozambique. But before the river crosses the border, take a left and head north up the Luangwa River. You’ll move through land rich in biodiversity, including the world’s largest concentration of hippos. As the river meanders and the altitude rises you will reach Mafinga plateau and Zambia’s largest coffee growing region which stretches all the way to the border with Tanzania.
Tasting Notes:
A fuller bodied cup with higher acidity and very fruit forward. A fun cup to play with in with in the roaster. Light roasts have a pretty citric acidity upfront that fades into a fruity factor with just a little hint of its chocolaty undertone, clean enough to drink here but be ready for the more floral and acidic front loaded cup profile. Medium roasts are where we thought it shined; jammy body, lots of red fruit like tones balanced with a chocolaty undertone, exotic and sweet. Right around 2nd crack works but burns out much of the fruity and acidic notes that separate this cup from the Washed or Honey processed.
Roasting Notes:
To see it shine as a natural, it is a lighter roast coffee but will have some higher acidity attributes. For most, a nice medium roast, close but not into 2nd crack will have a little bit of all the tastes, really well balanced. A dark roast works decently, more fruit in the aromatics than in the cup at any roast into 2nd crack.
SFBill (verified owner) –
I only drink espressos & caps so I was a little scared about getting something that mentions high acidity several times, but I’m very happy with this stuff. I kept the roast on the medium light side to ensure the forward flavors. This does taste a lot like the Indonesian Bali Kintmani (as described) and roasts the same, large not so dense beans, but they come out nice and even. I might try a pour over some day but I like the way that fermented flavor doesn’t get lost in the milk when I make a cappuccino.
William L Keller (verified owner) –
This coffee really makes an impression! I roasted it almost to a Full City roast and found the acidity too tart. But at a Full City roast it was like a mix of Bali Kintamani Natural, with that distinctive brandy flavor, and bakers chocolate. It was intense! African coffee just doesn’t get any better than this. I hope to re-order it.
Bill P (verified owner) –
I roasted to 210 and 218 on this coffee and found both to be excellent cups at initial tasting. Plenty of dark/candied fruit flavor with surprising body and very pleasant acidity for a coffee with the description above. This was my first natural roast and I thought the beans were incredibly predictable in my roaster. Really fun coffee – can’t wait to get my hands on the next harvest!