Received 04/02/2013

Tanzania Ruvuma Peaberry
Hope Project

Roast Color: "Full City" Dark Roast Color
Prep: Washed, sun-dried
Body: Medium, velvety
Flavor Profile: Bright, effervescent, lively and crisp
Cupping Notes: The dry fragrance has a subtle sweetness with a husky, light molasses quality. Once brewed, the wet aroma introduces elements of orange blossom and berries.

This is a very special coffee bean, and I always enjoy sharing it. A Peaberry is unique among the kinds of coffee beans available in the market; it's a single oval bean rather than the usual two-section flat-sided beans. It has a slightly spicier flavor, too, and a much more intense roast profile. It's unusual, to be sure, but it's medium-body and fruit-sweetness are supremely satisfying - in fact, many people ask us for Peaberry every time they order! Tanzania is the world's largest producer of exceptional sun-dried Peaberry coffees, and Ruvuma is acclaimed for it's flavors that are slightly reminiscent of popular Kenya varietals.

Tanzania is probably one of the oldest-known continuously-inhabited areas on Earth. Fossil remains of humans and pre-human hominids have been found dating back over two million years. Ruvuma is the region in Tanzania named after the Ruvuma River which forms most of its Southern boundary with Mozambique. It is mountainous in the northeast, where the famous Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is situated.

Tanzania contains many large and ecologically significant wildlife parks, including the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park in the north, and the Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park in the south. Gombe National Park in the west is known as the site of Dr. Jane Goodall's studies of chimpanzee behavior.

The coffee here is typically shade grown. Mixed crops of bananas and native plants allow the growers to have less impact on the environment while creating a more productive landscape. This great Tanzania coffee exhibits intense flavors of bright lemon, cherry, and a floral-toned honey sweetness with thick, full syrupy body that finishes with hints of cedar and cinnamon.