Umalila is a coffee washing station in the Umalila mountains of southwestern Tanzania. It buys and processes freshly picked coffee cherries of local smallholder farmers. Farmers here grow Kent and N39 cultivars. These are varieties of coffee bred in Tanzania for the purpose of increasing yield and quality attributes such as mouthfeel, sweetness and flavor. Coffee is processed in the washed method with a 24 to 36 hour fermentation before being dried on raised beds.
Tanzania has large and distinct coffee growing regions with high elevation, fresh water and volcanic soil. The majority of coffee farmers here have small plots of coffee. Washing stations gather ripe coffee cherries from each micro-region’s farmers and produce lots with nuance and character specific to their terroir.
This lot from Umalila is a wonderful Tanzanian coffee with a weighty mouthfeel, bright and crisp fruit notes and a very clean finish. We especially love the complexity of fruit flavors as well as the distinct clove aroma upon grinding. From the Umalila mountains of Tanzania’s southern highlands, please enjoy Umalila!