 Introduced to the
world in the 17th century, African coffees offer some of the most distinctive
coffee varieties available. Most African coffee is grown in the Eastern and
Southern parts of the continent. The high altitude of the old volcanic
mountains, the shortage of water, and the dry environment contribute to the
major characteristics of African coffees. The high quality Arabica beans are
characterized by a hard beans type of coffee, with sharp acidity, and floral
fruit notes that offer an intense flavor. Most African coffees are roasted
light to medium for exceptional flavor. Certain coffees, however, excel in
darker roasts.
The coffee trees
discovered in African regions, were growing wild on the high plains of Yemen and Ethiopia
which are neighbor yet each country is located on the edges of different
continents, the first is located in Asia while the second is located in Africa. The magical ripe red berries on its small
branches gave early consumers a feeling of invincibility. After boiling these
berries and drinking that mystical drink, they felt that they would never be
tired again (until the effects of the caffeine wore off). Soon thereafter and
during the early days of the Ottoman Empire
that the seeds were removed from the cherries, and new ways to prepare them
were invented through roasting and brewing for ingestion and human
consumption. the seeds are called coffee beans, and named after the Arabic
word”Kahwah”. Kahwah is the name for the drink and the name “Bunn” for the
coffee bean. The Turkish Ottoman government kept close security on this
coffee commodity, not allowing any fertile plant to leave the country's
borders. Needless to say their efforts failed, and we now have coffee growing
all over the globe. The Port of ”Mokha" or Mocha in Yemen where the
coffee plants were first smuggled and transported by Spanish and portuguese
traders over the narrow passage of the Red Sea of Arabia to their colonies in
Central and South America . Currently, coffee in Ethiopia is grown on plantations
such as, Harrar, Yirgacheffe and Djimmah. Yemen Coffee, however, is higher in
quality but lower in quantity which considered rare and sold exclusively in
the oil rich Saudi Arabia
and the other Arabian Gulf States such as Emirates, Kuwait
, Qatar
and others. Ethiopian Harrar is cultivated on very high altitude of 5,000 to
6,000 feet above sea level. The naturally processed, sun dried beans of Harrar
produce the most winey flavored cup in the world. They don't look too
appealing because of the way they are processed, but the most unusual and
mysterious coffees come from the motherland. Indeed, one cannot claim to be a
well rounded coffee connoisseur until he or she have experienced the wildness
of Ethiopian coffee.
Only a few hundred
miles south of Ethiopia
and Yemen, Kenya grows coffea Arabica on 5,000 ft. above
sea level in the foothills of Mount Kenya.
Beans are washed and sorted with a precision matched only in a few other
government supported countries. Kenyan coffee is of the finest available.
Beans are ranked by size using a scale of ten grades. The best grade you will
readily find is AA. While there are two grades higher than AA, they are so
rare you never see them. Kenyan coffee shares the winey aftertaste of Ethiopia, but
it is not as intense. It carries a fuller body than both Ethiopia and Yemen.
Malawi is the smallest
African country to grow coffee. Even though coffee has been produced for over
a century, these varietals are fairly new to U.S. markets. The majority is
exported to Britain.
Malawi Mapanga is processed and graded meticulously and the production is
limited. It is wonderfully fragrant with mellow body and crisp acidity. It is
one of the world's most exotic coffees.
Most Tanzanian coffees are Arabica type and are grown near the Kenyan border on the slopes
of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount
Meru. Evidently they
share the characteristically sharp, winey acidity with other African and Arabian
coffees. Tanzania
is known for its abundance of peaberries. A peaberry is a single round bean
within the coffee fruit rather than the normal adjacent halves. Sometimes you
will see "caracole" on a label. This is another word for peaberry.
There are diversified opinions about peaberries. Some say they taste better,
others say not. You will have to try it for yourself.
Coffee arrived in Zambia from Kenya
and Tanzania
in the early 20th Century. It is similar although lighter than Kenyan coffee.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe which is formerly known as Rhodesia, exports a superb coffee to the U.S. market
resembling the Kenyan washed coffee that portrays an acidic, winey tone. In
fact, the coffee of Zimbabwe
is comparable to the finest Kenyan coffee. The beans are grown on plantations
and washed.
There is a variety of African roasted coffee and African green coffee available from www.mitalenacoffee.com
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