Country: Tanzania
Region: Mbeya
Varietal: Bourbon
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1,400 MASL
Cupping Notes: Lemon & Lime, Almond, Black Tea
Recommended Roast:City to Full City
Good For:Pour Over, Auto Drip, Espresso

Description: Situated on the edge of the East Africa Rift Valley and at the foot of the Mbeya mountain range in Southern Tanzania, Utengule Estate sits in the ideal microclimate for cultivating sweet, dense cherry. The Estate is named for the nearby village of the same name. It was started by missionaries in 1919 and acquired by the current owner, Hans Faessler in 1986. Today, the fertile soil, warm summers and strong seasonal rains ensure optimal conditions for cultivating high quality coffee. Utengule sits near the border with Zambia and Malawi. The soil is fertile and rich and nourished coffee trees. Clear mountain water trickles down from the Mbeya mountain range and is used to irrigate the farm. Utengule has an on-farm nursery to grow new seedlings to enable them to continuously renovated aging rootstock. Approximately 100 hectares of the farm are protected nature reserve where local flora and fauna can flourish. The estate is dedicated to creating a system where nothing is wasted and everything contributes to better coffee. Pulp from processing is recycled in compost and wood from pruning is converted in biochar that it mixed with compost to make soil more fertile. Wastewater from processing is used to irrigate coffee trees.

During the harvest season, up to 400 people are employees to selectively handpick ripe, red cherry on the farm. Additional workers will visually hand sort picked cherry to ensure no underripe or damaged cherry remains. Once sorted, cherry is pulped on an eco-pulper, which minimizes water use while sorting cherry to remove floaters for separate processing. Coffee flows into a tiled tank where it ferments in water for approximately 12 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on raised beds to sun dry. Workers rakes parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 7 days for parchment to dry.