Tanzania Mbeya Iyula

This Tanzania is grown in Mbeya, down in the Southwest corner of the country bordering Zambia. Mbeya is a growing region in Tanzania, and Iyula is the washing station. This is a microlot grown by one of the farmers near the washing station, of just the bourbon varietal, and sorted out of just AB size beans so they will roast evenly. As a result, this coffee is more complex and higher grade than a lot of the country's harvest. The altitude here is as much as 5,000 feet above sea level, which tends to help produce a denser bean, easier to roast, more complexity, and no need for pesticides.

The complexity of this coffee is nice! Apricot (grapefruit if its a few degrees lighter, with some lemon and peach), wine-like grape, juicy. It is almost a Kenya, but maybe sweeter and not quite as complex. A nice full bodied, winey, fruity, bright mug of coffee. It has a sparkling brightness, and slight tartness, but not enough to be offputting. As you approach 2nd cracks, the acidity tames out and the complexity is simplified, but you have a medium roast coffee with creamier body and a fruity aftertaste. You really can't go wrong. As a French Roast, you find that it holds up really well -- much the way that a french roasted Kenya would -- and obviously you lose the nuances and acidity of the the lighter roasts, but it makes for a sweet and exotically aromatic french roast.

US Arrival June 2023