When one thinks of
coffee in Africa, two countries immediately spring to mind. Ethiopia and
Kenya. It is in Ethiopia that coffee
originated, and this is also the country where thousands and thousands of
heirloom varietals grow. Kenya follows with coffee that produces a quality cup
and is also the home of the SL-28 varietal. Developed in the 1930s, the SL-28
has become one of the most prized by coffee people. Complex, the dazzling acidity of this variety
is so unlike most coffees from elsewhere in the world. The SL-28 is a kind of
sucker punch to the palate, if you are not expecting it the Kenyan variety will
knock your socks off. Both of these countries, Kenya and Ethiopia dominate
African coffee.
Another country though
is making inroads into this special club.
A country that you may not even think of when coffee comes to mind. Zambia, a landlocked country is a country
relatively new to coffee, but is very serious in developing a sustainable
coffee industry. Zambia may just be
Africa's best kept coffee secret. In addition to climate and terroir, reliable
cultivars, cutting edge farming techniques, and high quality processing
standards combine to produce coffee with the classic bright fruit flavors,
sparkling acidity, and sweet aftertaste for which well-balanced East African
coffees are famous.
Landlocked and
surrounded by eight other African countries, exporting coffee has been a
challenge for Zambian coffee growers. However, large, centralized milling
stations tend to make Zambian coffees clean and consistent, and word is
spreading about this up-and-coming coffee origin.
Coffee was introduced
with seedstock from Tanzania and Kenya in the 1950's. Bourbon used to be the cultivar
of choice in Zambia, however a big insect and disease problem caused a switch to the catimor varietal. Recently though another varietal has been
producing very well. CAT-129 or Catimor 129. This strain was the result of a
love affair between a Robusta plant and an Arabica plant in Timor. Crossed
again with Caturra the end result was a varietal with a very high yield
potential, and resistant to both Coffee Leaf Rust and Coffee Berry Disease.
In Zambia the coffee is not shade grown, but
is rather grown in full sun using irrigation methods and fertilization to
ensure the crops grow correctly. The country always applies the newest
technologies and innovation in its coffee cultivation, including chemical and
biological pest control and coffee pulp composting.
Near the border with
Tanzania, Isanya Estate grows coffee above 1500 meters. Isanya Estate is the
home of our new Reserve. Coffee from this estate is milled at the Kateshi mill
and blended to create this unique coffee from the home of smoke that thunders
or the Victoria Falls. Isanya Estate is an estate with two things in mind.
Providing the best for their workers in terms of pay and benefits and working
towards a sustainable future for coffee. Workers are provided with housing on
the estate, where there is also a 800-student school, a medical clinic, and a
research center. As an experimental farm, this estate employ over 3,000 people
during harvest, and their innovation and meticulous processing are coaxing the
best out of the coffee beans.
I had an interesting experience
in tasting this coffee. Opening the bag I did note a milk chocolate aroma, and
also the aroma of vanilla. Brewing the coffee, these aromas were also tasted
along with pecan. What I didn’t taste was the white grapefruit. Coffee is
subjective, what I taste in a coffee you may not and vice versa, so I was not
too surprised by this. But here is where it gets interesting, as the coffee
cooled, the white grapefruit taste came out. This occurred in whatever brewing
method I used; Clover, French Press, V60 or the Chemix. With all these methods
I found the Isanya Estate to have a medium body, smooth, like 2% milk,
structured and balanced. It has a medium
acidity. All things considered a very good coffee.
Recently we have been
blessed with three very good Reserve Coffees. The Isanya Estate from Zambia is a coffee for the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment