When we buy great coffee it can come to us in many ways (insert divine intervention here?). We have bought a few coffees from small and medium farms across the world now using a Swiss run platform, that allows us to buy small amounts of some great coffee direct from growers.
When I sample roasted this coffee, as a pre-shipment, it was a must, a coffee that we had to have. A “mix-it-up” processed coffee, that was so different from anything else I have tasted from Africa, let alone Tanzania. When the coffee arrived, so did a range of challenges, as I knew there was a profile to find, but this has been the single most challenging coffee to profile in a very long time. The good news, and why I can now write this, is this is a completely delicious coffee.
Farm: Edelweiss Estate.
Farmer: Neel and Kavita Vohora
Area: Arusha Northern Tanzania
Processes: This coffee is an experimental mixture of natural, pulp naturals, and washed coffees, referred to as “Golden Honey”.
Varietal: Bourbon, SL28 and Kent.
Altitude: 1620-1850 Meters above sea level
Cup potential: Raspberry, blueberry, soft fruits of the forest, with lingering citrus and cacao. Acidity, almost non-existent. This coffee is subtle and deep. We have gone to extremes to try and develop the potential fruit in this coffee and it is more fruit than coffee and more natural(ripe) than washed(bright) in the cup.
Roast: (I want to write an essay here) Light filter.
Recipe: This is as relevant as your water quality and burrs. We have been working on 55g a litre and upwards.
You could brew this as espresso. We have found that the window is so close between the filter and espresso with this coffee. I would sooner recommend this as an unusual delicious filter than sacrifice it at the cost of another coffee that works in milk.
Farm Info’
Edelweiss estate is based on the slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest unbroken caldera (crater), a UNESCO world heritage site, and the haven for scores of wildlife including elephant, rhino, lions and numerous antelope. The same family has held stewardship over the beautiful farms (of Finagro) for 3 generations. A mixture of an exceptional terroir, climate, and good farming practices have driven the farms to produce consistently exceptional coffees that are sustainable in production and in our environmental and social impact. Edelweiss provides sustainable and consistent employment for more than 500 members of the community all whilst living in harmony with the abundant wildlife found through the farms.
