March 2017 – Tanzania Ndugu Hills
Coffee of the Month
The Tanzania Ndugu Hills opens with an aroma of butterscotch and golden raisin, followed by dark malt and caramel in the cup. An excellent espresso coffee that goes perfectly with milk.
This month we invite you to explore a brand new coffee region with us, the eastern African country of Tanzania. Despite neighbouring Kenya (arguably home to the greatest specialty coffee in the world) Southern Tanzania is completely new to the specialty coffee scene. Located in the Ndugu Hills, this passionate group of farmers was discovered by our partners in Kenya, who recognised they had both the environment and attitude needed to produce excellent specialty coffee.
A funded project was established to help these farmers raise their coffee to specialty status. In just one year, the quality of their coffee increased by 50% and made it to specialty grade. Shortly afterwards the coffee began to fetch double the price. Currently the group is made up of 900 farmers, which is set to triple in the next year. The economic impact this has on the region and its community is phenomenal.
The farmers themselves can’t quite believe it… not only are they selling to one of the leading specialty coffee roasters in Australia, they’ve been named Coffee of the Month! We couldn’t be more proud to be the first specialty coffee company to release this coffee and we hope you enjoy.
Our Guest Taster
Shaun Blissett
Head Brewer, Wayward Brewing Co
We love welcoming different taste experts to our cupping table, and this month we were keen to test out Tanzania Ndugu Hills on the taste buds of craft beer brewer Shaun Blissett.
As Head Brewer at Sydney’s Wayward Brewing Co, Shaun takes care of the everyday behind the scenes crafting of Wayward’s beers. He shared with us that he has a particular fascination with hoppy and sour beers, and enjoys creating new and inventive flavours to keep Wayward regulars on their toes.
Shaun took to tasting coffee like a brewer to beer. On the dry aroma he noted apricot, spices and herbs. In the cup, he tasted “roasted cacao nib, dark crystal malt and muscatel grape” (muscatel grapes are the ones on the vine that are served with a cheese platter).
An avid coffee enthusiast, Shaun prefers a cappuccino to start his day. In fact, he told us that cappuccino is a “popular choice for most beer brewers”. Later on in the day he moves to filter coffee, brewing with a V60 Pour Over or Aeropress.
The Cup
Flavour Dark roasted cacao nib, Dark crystal malt, Butterscotch
Aroma Apricot, Spice, Herbs
Acidity and body Muscatel grape, Syrupy mouthfeel, Clean finish