We are extremely thrilled to release more incredible coffee from Tanzania!

This coffee comes from the good people at Finagro plantations, a multi-generational collective of coffee farms that takes pride and care in every step of their coffee production. This lot is from their Gaia Farm, now famous after winning Tanzanias version of the Cup of Excellence, the ACE’s Private Collection Auction with their Bourbon N39.

Since 1971, the Vohoras have owned about 1000 acres of farmland on the southern exterior slopes of the Ngorongoro caldera in Tanzania’s lush rift valley. The farms possess Rainforest Alliance certificates, and the family and their 50+ full-time employees have done a remarkable job of upkeep and preservation of natural beauty while also running a thriving coffee business. They provide temporary housing for harvest labor and even supply land on the farm for local smallholders to grow beans – a mutually beneficial crop as the legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, a critical step in a healthy cycle of crops. They grow shade trees throughout the coffee plantations, mulch with their own grass and leaf cover, and carefully manage their soils and water. They work in harmony with the natural environment and the African wildlife, who visit the farms regularly.

This lot is solely SL28, a drought-resistant Bourbon-Typica variety most commonly linked with Kenyan coffee. In 1931, the senior coffee officer of Scott Labs, A.D. Trench, conducted a tour of Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and selected SL28 from a single tree. According to historical documents, he noticed a variety growing in the Moduli district that appeared to be tolerant to drought, diseases, and pests. Seed was collected and brought back to Scott Laboratories, where its drought resistance was confirmed. SL28 was widely distributed and was considered the prize selection of this period of intensive breeding.

The family also seeks to innovate with their processing, bringing interesting coffee flavors to their consumers with both fully washed coffee and experimental (anaerobic/aerobic) fermentations.

This is a fully washed coffee with notes of cherry pie, rosehip, and blackcurrant.