Origin: Tanzania
Region: Ngorongoro, Northern Tanzania
Estate: Kifaru Coffee Estate
Producer Type: Single Estate
Crop: 2025/26
Species: Arabica
Variety: Bourbon
Altitude: 1,800 MASL
Process: Fully Washed
Drying: Sun Dried
Grade: AA
Screen: 18+
Certification: Rainforest Alliance Certified
Lot: P8003142-1
This coffee comes from Kifaru Coffee Estate in the Ngorongoro highlands of northern Tanzania, an area known for its dramatic landscape, volcanic soils and high elevations. Grown at around 1,800 metres above sea level, this lot is made from Bourbon Arabica and is carefully washed to produce a clean, structured and refined cup.
Kifaru Coffee Estate
Kifaru Coffee Estate is located near Karatu, on the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The estate sits within one of Tanzania’s most distinctive agricultural landscapes, where coffee is grown alongside natural habitat, shade trees and other crops.
The name Kifaru means “rhinoceros” in Swahili, reflecting the estate’s close connection to the surrounding Ngorongoro environment and its wildlife.
Coffee has been grown on the estate for many years, with the farm developing a strong reputation for combining quality-focused production with environmental and community initiatives.
High-Altitude Bourbon
This lot is produced from Bourbon, one of the classic Arabica varieties valued for its sweetness, balance and potential for excellent cup quality.
The coffee is grown at approximately 1,800 MASL, where cooler temperatures slow the ripening of the cherries. This extended maturation period helps produce denser beans and encourages greater development of sugars and organic acids before harvest.
The surrounding volcanic soils also contribute to the growing conditions that make this part of northern Tanzania particularly well suited to specialty coffee.
Washed Processing
The coffee is processed using the fully washed method, a style that places emphasis on clarity and structure in the cup.
After ripe cherries are harvested, the outer fruit is removed before the coffee is fermented to help break down the remaining mucilage. The parchment coffee is then washed clean and carefully dried.
This process helps preserve the intrinsic character of the Bourbon variety and the high-altitude growing environment, resulting in a cleaner and more defined profile than would normally be expected from a natural-process coffee.
AA Grade – Screen 18+
This coffee is graded AA, with a screen size of 18+.
In Tanzania, AA is used for some of the largest beans within the grading system. The consistent size and density of the green coffee can be particularly useful for roasters, helping promote more even heat transfer and consistent roast development.
For home and commercial roasters alike, the appearance and preparation of the green coffee make this a particularly attractive premium lot.
Rainforest Alliance Certified
This lot is Rainforest Alliance Certified, reflecting the estate’s commitment to responsible farming and environmental management.
Kifaru places significant emphasis on protecting the landscape around the farm and maintaining a balanced relationship between agricultural production and the surrounding environment.
The estate has increased shade-tree planting, uses efficient irrigation systems in parts of the farm and retains substantial areas of natural habitat alongside its coffee production.
The result is a farm where coffee production sits within a much wider landscape rather than being treated as an isolated monoculture.
Farming Alongside Wildlife
One of the most distinctive aspects of Kifaru is its location close to the Ngorongoro conservation landscape.
The estate maintains areas of vegetation and open land that help provide a buffer between agricultural production and surrounding wildlife habitat. Shade trees such as acacias and jacarandas also form part of the farm environment.
The estate is not devoted solely to coffee. Other agricultural activity includes avocado production, dairy cattle and experimental crops, helping create a more diverse farming system and reducing dependence on a single crop.
Community Investment
Kifaru’s story also extends beyond coffee production.
The estate supports a number of community and social initiatives, including education and healthcare support for employees and their families.
A local trust has helped fund schooling and healthcare, while the farm has also supported nearby educational facilities, including Mlimani Sumawe Secondary School.
The estate has additionally operated a nursery and daycare facility, particularly important during the busy coffee harvest when more seasonal workers are present on the farm.
These programmes form part of a wider approach to creating long-term value for the people who work on and around the estate.
A Coffee Built Around Origin
Unlike blended regional coffees, this is a single-estate lot, giving the coffee a much clearer sense of place and traceability.
Its combination of Bourbon variety, high altitude, washed processing, large AA beans and volcanic soils makes it a particularly interesting coffee for roasters looking for a premium East African origin.
The official tasting profile for this particular crop is still being confirmed, so rather than borrowing tasting notes from previous Kifaru harvests, we prefer to assess each lot independently once it arrives and has been roasted and cupped.
For Roasters
This coffee should respond particularly well to light-to-medium and medium roast profiles.
A lighter roast is likely to preserve more of the natural acidity and origin character associated with high-altitude East African coffees, making it suitable for filter brewing.
A medium roast should build more sweetness, body and depth while retaining enough brightness to keep the cup balanced.
Its large, dense AA beans also make it a strong option for roasters who value consistency and control during roast development.
A Distinctive Tanzanian Single Estate
Kifaru Estate offers a combination that is increasingly difficult to find in commercial green coffee: single-estate traceability, high-altitude Bourbon, AA grading, washed processing and verified sustainability credentials.
Together, these elements make this a coffee with both a strong technical specification and a compelling origin story.
Coffee in Tanzania was grown almost exclusively in the North for a long time. The Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Tarime, Kagera, Kigoma and Karatu/Ngorongoro regions were prized for their ideal Arabica growing conditions. At the time, coffee production was so concentrated in the north that Moshi, a northern municipality, was the only hub for all coffee milling and sales.
Operations in Moshi grew to truly massive proportions in the 1950s and early-1960s. Since both Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi were under British rule in the post-war decades, Moshi was the second milling and sales hub (after Nairobi, Kenya) for British coffee production.
Even though transportation from the few farms in Southern Tanzania to Moshi could take nearly a week, there just wasn’t enough production to make it economical for the government or private companies to construct mills in the South until the 1970s and 1980s.
Coffee in Tanzania Today
Coffee cultivation has extended southwards in recent years. In addition to the historical powerhouse regions in the north, coffee is now also grown in the southern regions of Ruvuma and Mbeya/Mbozi. Most Southern expansion of coffee growing occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and was encouraged by two projects supported by European backers. In an ironic twist, today 75 to 85% of total coffee production in Tanzania today comes from farms in the south.
Small Batch Roasting: Roast For You Service – Terms & Conditions
Introduction
Small Batch Roasting now offers a service that offers personalised coffee roasting for customers who want to enjoy freshly roasted coffee tailored to their preferences. This article will discuss the Roast For You Service, its terms and conditions, and provide essential information for customers to make informed decisions when ordering.
Roast For You Service
When you choose to have your coffee roasted for you, we will roast the exact amount ordered and roast this for you to the selected roast profile you have chosen. Our small batch roasting process ensures that your coffee is roasted with care and precision, resulting in a high-quality, freshly roasted product.
Minimum Green Weight Requirement
Please be advised that the minimum green weight for roasting any one single origin is 6kg. Any orders placed with less than 6kg of each origin will be placed on hold and may cause delays in being dispatched. We will contact you to discuss how you wish to proceed in this case.
Weight Loss During Roasting
Please be mindful of the weight loss through moisture loss during roasting, which is typically between 12-20% depending on the level of roast. The darker the roast, the higher the moisture loss. This weight loss should be taken into account when ordering your coffee to ensure you receive the desired amount of roasted coffee.
Order Processing Time
Orders for roasted coffees will naturally take a little longer to process. Please allow a minimum of 3 days for your order to arrive from the point of order. If we are able to drop your order in the roasting schedule sooner, we will always endeavor to do so.
Mixed Orders
Mixed orders which include green and roasted coffees will be dispatched together when the roasted coffees are ready. We are unable to split these orders, so please consider the slightly longer delivery times when ordering mixed coffees.
Packaging
Your coffee will be bulk packed into a 6kg bulk bag with an identifying label on only. This packaging ensures that your coffee remains fresh and protected during transit.
Roast Profile and Liability
We will roast to your desired roast profile, but are unable to take any liability for any taste discrepancies that may arise from this. We are unable to take back any coffees once they have been roasted to your desired roast profile.
Yield Estimate
Typically, a medium roast coffee at 6kg green will yield 5.1kg of freshly roasted coffee. This estimate should be taken into account when ordering your coffee to ensure you receive the desired amount of roasted coffee.
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