Zambia – 2022 Crop – Ngoli Estate Washed AAA RFA

Description

2022 Crop – Blowout Special. Very nice tasting, and stored well, but a little older than we normally carry. Our buddies over @ Olam are overloaded with Zambia about to go into past crop and cut us a deal we couldn’t refuse, and neither should you! 

The Olam Coffee Estate Company in Zambia was started in 2012. It is both the largest coffee producer in Zambia and now the largest employer in the country. Kateshi coffee estate, as one of the first coffee estates in Zambia, was established in 1972 close to Kateshi village. Back then, its wet processing facilities represented the heart of coffee production in northern Zambia having been the central mill for all coffee produced in the region. Kateshi has been recognized for boldly challenging the gender stereotypes in Zambia, being the first and only coffee estate to employ women for traditionally male-dominated roles such as driving tractors and even larger equipment like road graders and bulldozers. A strong focus on gender equality makes this coffee directly contribute to the empowerment of women – and this is not restricted to the farm; the new found sense of independence and pride also spills over into the neighbouring communities.

The history of Zambian coffee seems familiar: men in Holy Orders of one sort or another arrive and plant seeds. But in the case of Zambia, missionaries did not introduce coffee farming until the 1950s. By the time commercial coffee production began in Zambia, the British had considerable experience in starting and operating coffee plantations in India, Kenya, and elsewhere. Planting coffee was an attempt to decrease a dependence on copper exports. Not surprisingly, the emphasis was on yield and production efficiencies. Plantations were large and orderly, grown in full sun on flat land, and processed in large wet mills wherever possible. Nevertheless Zambia made almost no appearance whatsoever on the world coffee stage until coffee was officially exported for the first time in 1985.

Tasting Notes:
A good cup from light to dark. Medium bodied with gentle brightness and hints of soft fruit that comingle with the heftier and spicier classic African darker  tones. Clean well rated cup, lighter roasts accentuate the brighter more floral tones, darker the bakers chocolate and spice. We found a nice medium roast was our favorite bringing excellent balance between the two. If your not a big acidity or fruity coffee fan, darker roasts mute up a bunch of the acidity and give a real big bodied, smoky, complex and very dark toned cup of coffee.

Roasting Notes:
A very fun one to play around with the roast, a bit more acidity in the cup really differentiated the lighter from darker roasts. A good one to drag out a bit if roasting before 2nd crack. Can go from first crack to 2nd a little quicker than average so make sure to keep an eye on it.

The Northern province has the best conditions for arabica coffee cultivation in Zambia with its relative proximity to the equator and abundant altitude (Mafinga Hills being the highest point in the country at 2,300 masl).  Most coffee grows from 1300 – 2300 masl. Zambia produces both washed and naturally processed coffee and has introduced some honey processing.  A wide range of varieties including Catimor 129, Castillo, Java, and other trial varieties. Specialty grades are AAA, AA, AB and Peaberry.