NYERI
The central region of Nyeri is home to the extinct volcano of Mount Kenya. The red soils here produce some of the best coffee in Kenya. Agriculture is hugely important to the area and coffee is one of the main crops. Cooperatives of smallholder producers are common, rather than large estates. The coffee trees in Nyeri produce two crops a year and the main crop tends to produce higher-quality lots.
Altitude:
1,200–2,300m (3,900–7,500ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
MURANG’A
Around 100,000 farmers produce coffee in the Murang’a region, within the Central Province. This inland region was one of the first to be settled by missionaries, who were prevented from settling around the coast by the Portuguese. This is another region that benefits from the volcanic soil, and also has more smallholders than estates.
Altitude:
1,350–1,950m (4,400–6,400ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
KIRINYAGA
The eastern neighbour of Nyeri, this county also benefits from volcanic soils. The coffee tends to be produced by smallholders and the washing stations have been producing some very high-quality lots that are well worth trying.
Altitude:
1,300–1,900m (4,300–6,200ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
EMBU
Near Mount Kenya, this region is named after the town of Embu. Approximately seventy per cent of the population are small-scale farmers, and the most popular cash crops are tea and coffee. Almost all of the coffee comes from smallholders and the region is a relatively small producer.
Altitude:
1,300–1,900m (4,300–6,200ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian, K7
MERU
Coffee is grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya and in the Nyambene Hills, mostly by smallholders. The name refers to both the region and the Meru people who inhabit it. In the 1930s, these people were among the first Kenyans to produce coffee, as a result of the Devonshire White Paper of 1923, which asserted the importance of African interests in the country.
Altitude:
1,300–1,950m (4,300–6,400ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian, K7
KIAMBU
This central region’s production is dominated by large estates. However, the spread of urbanization has seen the number of estates decline as owners have found it more profitable to sell their land for development. Coffees from the region are often named for places within it, such as Thika, Ruiru and Limuru. Many of the estates are owned by multinational companies, which means that farming practices are often mechanized with an eye towards higher yields rather than quality. There are a reasonable number of smallholders in the region, too.
Altitude:
1,500–2,200m (4,900–7,200ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
MACHAKOS
This is a relatively small county in the centre of the country, named after the town of Machakos. Coffee production here is a mixture of estates and smallholders.
Altitude:
1,400–1,850m (4,600–6,050ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34
NAKURU
This region, in the centre of the country, has some of the highest-growing coffee in Kenya. However, some trees suffer from ‘dieback’ at high altitudes and stop producing. The region is named after the town of Nakuru. Coffee is produced by a mixture of estates and smallholders, although production is relatively low.
Altitude:
1,850–2,200m (6,050–7,200ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
KISII
This region is in the southwest of the country, not far from Lake Victoria. It is a relatively small region and most of the coffee comes from cooperatives of small producers.
Altitude:
1,450–1,800m (4,750–5,900ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
SL-28, SL-34, Blue Mountain, K7
TRANS-NZOIA, KEIYO & MARAKWET
This relatively small area of production in Western Kenya has seen some growth in recent years. The slopes of Mount Elgon provide some altitude, and most of the coffee comes from estates. Coffee is often planted to diversify farms that once focused on maize or dairy.
Altitude:
1,500–1,900m (4,900–6,200ft)
Harvest:
October–December (main crop), June–August (fly crop)
Varieties:
Ruiru 11, Batian, SL-28, SL-34
MALAWI
It seems that coffee was introduced to Malawi in the late 1800s. One claim states that a single tree taken from the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens was brought to the country in 1878 by John Buchnan, a Scottish missionary. It first took root in southern Malawi, in the Blantyre region, and by 1900 annual coffee production was at 1,000 tonnes (1,100 tons).
Despite its auspicious start, coffee production collapsed not long after due to a combination of poorly maintained soils, pests and diseases, and the competition from the increasingly dominant production of Brazil.
For most of the first part of the 20th century there was little African ownership of the large coffee farms as the country was under British colonial rule. However, the cooperative movement started in 1946 and coffee production grew dramatically in the 1950s. While they looked like they might prove to be successful, all the cooperatives were dissolved in 1971 due to political interference. Coffee production in Malawi peaked in the 1990s at 7,000 tonnes (7,700 tons), and has since shrunk back to around 1,500 tonnes (1,650 tons) a year.
Despite the fact that it is landlocked, Malawi has built a strong agricultural export economy. In the case of coffee, some attribute its success to the lack of government interference in export, allowing direct relationships between sellers and buyers. However, for a long time quality was not of particular focus. Grading was a very simple system of Grade 1 and Grade 2, although in recent years there has been movement towards the AA-style grading system used throughout Africa.
The coffee varieties grown in Malawi certainly cover the extremes of the spectrum. There has been quite a lot of Geisha variety planted, the same variety that has generated so much interest in Central America. However, there is also quite a lot of Catimor throughout the country, a disease-resistant variety that is generally of much lower quality.
TRACEABILITY
Coffee in the south of Malawi is generally produced on large-scale, commercial estates and in the central and northern regions by smallholder farmers. Therefore it is possible to trace coffees back to a single farm, or to a large group of producers. Generally there should be excellent coffees available from both.
TASTE PROFILE
The coffees can be quite sweet and clean, though rarely as explosively fruity and complex as other coffees from East Africa.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 18,090,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 18,000
Coffees from Malawi are rarely i
dentified by their regions, and the regions themselves could be considered as defined pockets of coffee growing, rather than definable areas with distinct characteristics determined by the local terroir and microclimate.
CHITIPA DISTRICT
This area has a reputation of growing some of the best coffee in Malawi. It is close to the Songwe River, which provides a natural border between Malawi and Tanzania to the north. This area is home to the large Misuku Hills Cooperative.
Altitude:
1,700–2,000m (5,600–6,600ft)
Harvest:
April–September
Varieties:
Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra
RUMPHI DISTRICT
This area is located in the north of the country, close to Lake Malawi in the eastern part of the Nyika National Park. There are several areas here with clusters of producers, such as Chakak, Mphachi, Salawe, Junji and VunguVungu. The Phoka Hills and Viphya North cooperatives are located here.
Altitude:
1,200–2,500m (3,900–8,100ft)
Harvest:
April–September
Varieties:
Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra
NORTH VIPHYA
This region covers part of the North Viphya Plateau, which is separated from Nkhata Bay Highlands by the Lizunkhumi river valley.
Altitude:
1,200–1,500m (3,900–4,900ft)
Harvest:
April–September
Varieties:
Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra
SOUTHEAST MZIMBA
This region is named for the city of Mzimba, and there are several valley and river systems running through it.
Altitude:
1,200–1,700m (3,900–5,600ft)
Harvest:
April–September
Varieties:
Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra
NKHATA BAY HIGHLANDS
This region is just to the east of the regional capital city of Mzuzu.
Altitude:
1,000–2,000m (3,300–6,600ft)
Harvest:
April–September
Varieties:
Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra
Coffee plantations in Malawi have a strong agricultural export economy and most coffee can be traced to a single farm.
RWANDA
German missionaries first brought coffee to Rwanda in 1904, but the country did not produce enough to begin exports until 1917. After World War I, the League of Nations Mandate stripped Germany of its colonial rule over Rwanda, and handed it to the Belgians. This is why, historically, most of Rwanda’s coffee has been exported to Belgium.
The first coffee trees were planted at the Mibirizi mission in Cyangugu province, and the place gives its name to the first Rwandan coffee variety, a natural mutation of Bourbon. Gradually coffee cultivation spread into the Kivu region and ultimately the rest of Rwanda. In the 1930s, coffee became a compulsory crop for many producers around the country, mirroring the Belgian colonial approach in neighbouring Burundi.
The Belgians strictly controlled exports and enforced high taxes on the growers. This pushed Rwanda towards producing high volumes of low-quality coffee, which sold for low prices. However, the fact that Rwanda exported so little gave coffee an oversized impact and a sense of importance for the farmers. There was little infrastructure to allow the production of quality coffee, not even a single washing station.
By the 1990s, coffee was Rwanda’s most valuable export, but the events of the decade would decimate the coffee industry. In 1994, the widespread genocide in the country claimed nearly one million lives, and had a massive impact on the coffee industry. This was compounded by worldwide coffee prices falling to a very low level.
COFFEE’S ROLE IN RWANDA’S RECOVERY
Coffee was to become a symbol of positivity as Rwanda got back on its feet following the genocide. As foreign aid and interest streamed into the country, there was a strong focus on the coffee sector. Washing stations were built and there was a determined drive towards producing higher-quality coffee. The government took a more open approach to the coffee trade, and speciality coffee buyers from around the world have shown a strong interest in the country’s coffees. Rwanda is the only African country to have hosted a Cup of Excellence competition, a project to find the very best lots and to bring them to market through an online auction system.
The first washing station was built in 2004 with assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Many more followed and the number has grown dramatically in recent years with around three hundred in operation today. The PEARL project (Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages) was successful in helping to spread knowledge and train young agronomists. It has since become the SPREAD project (Sustaining Partnerships to enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development) and both projects have focused their efforts in the Butare region.
Rwanda is known as the ‘land of a thousand hills’ and certainly has the altitude and weather to grow great coffee. However, there is the problem of widespread soil depletion and transport still poses a challenge, often adding great expense to production costs.
When worldwide coffee prices increased around 2010, it was a challenge in Rwanda (and much of the rest of the world) to find suitable incentives to keep quality high. When the market pays high prices, there is little reason to spend money to increase quality, as even low-quality coffee is sufficiently profitable. However, recently the quality of Rwandan coffees has been excellent. Rwanda does grow and export a small amount of Robusta, but most of its output is fully washed Arabica.
At a coffee washing station in Butare, a worker keeps the coffee cherries moving as the depulping machine separates the seeds from the fruit flesh.
THE POTATO DEFECT
This is a particular and unusual defect found only in coffees from Burundi and Rwanda. It is caused by an unknown bacteria entering the cherry’s skin and producing an unpleasant toxin. It is not harmful to health, but when afflicted beans are roasted and ground they release an unmistakeable and pungent aroma that is eerily similar to the smell of peeling a raw potato. This defect affects only specific beans, so finding it in your coffee does not mean the whole bag is spoiled, unless it has all been ground.
Eradication is tricky. It is undetectable once post-harvest processing is finished, so a coffee roaster cannot do anything to detect it before roasting. Even after roasting it is difficult to discover until a bean with the defect is ground. It is possible to do some work during processing to identify the cherries that have had their skins broken and are likely to be tainted. Work is being done both on the ground and at research level to eradicate this particular defect.
Workers spread the coffee out on drying tables, where it will dry out for five days, in preparation for roasting or export.
TRACEABILITY
Coffees in Rwanda tend to be traceable back to washing stations and the numerous farmer groups and cooperatives that supply them. Each producer has on average just 183 trees, so it is not possible to find a coffee traceable to a single producer.
LOCAL VARIETIES
MIBIRIZI
This is the name of the mission in Rwanda that received some Bourbon trees from Guatemala. Mibirizi is a natural variant of Bourbon, which appeared at the mission. It was initially grown in Rwanda and later spread to Burundi in the 1930s.
JACKSON
This is another Bourbon variant that was initially grown in Rwanda and has since spread to Burundi.
TASTE PROFILE
Amazing coffees from Rwanda often have a fruitiness and freshness reminiscent of red apples or red grapes. Berry fruit flavours and floral qualities are also fairly common.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 11,920,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 220,000
Coffee is grown across the whole of Rwanda, without spec
ific geographic zones of constriction. Roasters may use the name of a district along with the name of the washing station or farmer group.
SOUTHERN AND WESTERN REGION
Some stunning coffees come from this part of the country. Production seems particularly focused around the mountainous Huye region, the Nyamagabe region and the Nyamasheke region on the shores of Lake Kivu.
Altitude:
1,700–2,200m (5,600–7,200ft)
Harvest:
March–June
Varieties:
Bourbon, Mibirizi
EASTERN REGION
The altitude in the east of the country is not as high as in other regions, but great coffees are being produced in Ngoma and in Nyagatare in the extreme northeast.
The World Atlas of Coffee: From beans to brewing - coffees explored, explained and enjoyed Page 14
