VOLCANICA
7/5/24…read more
EAST AFRICAN COFFEE STATUS & OUTLOOK
Based on the USDA's latest outlook, Africa accounts for 11-12% of the world's total coffee production, including 10.5% of the Robusta crop and 12.5% of the 23/24 Arabica crop. There are 54 countries in Africa, but only about a dozen produce coffee.
While Ethiopia accounts for most of it, the high-quality specialty grade Arabica coffee production is limited to 6-7 East African countries, including some very small countries with problematic histories.
Located in the equatorial coffee belt, East African coffee benefits from ideal coffee growing conditions, including volcanic soil, high altitude, climate, access to fresh water and tradition. Conscientious processing, disciplined coops and dedicated smallholder farms also play a role.
Coffee is a subjective topic and while good coffee can be found throughout the equatorial belt, the acid rich East African coffees are recognized as the world's most distinctive. The traditional varieties and grade from Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe) and Kenya (south-central highlands) are particularly noteworthy and often compared.
While some would include 100% authentic Kona (miniscule production, hard to get & subject to fraud), the best Tanzanian and the crazy expensive Geisha (Panama & elsewhere) among the best, the coffee from Kenya and Ethiopia is widely viewed as the world's most consistent, distinctive and recognizable. Regardless of source, it is important to note that countries producing the most distinguished specialty coffee also produce average or worse coffee.
In a way, East African coffees are like finalists in a beauty contents, it's hard to pick the winner. The contest is also dynamic, i.e., this year's crop winner could be next year's loser.
While the demand for specialty coffee continues to grow, small coffee farmers have been burdened by an exploitive value chain. Living on a few dollars a day, Africa's small coffee farmers have had little incentive to produce the low yielding crop. If impoverished farmers do not get a bigger piece of the value chain's pie, higher prices and a shortage of high-quality coffee seem likely.
FINDING REPUTABLE RETAIL ROASTERS
When purchasing country of origin coffee, the quality will vary by crop year, terroir, region, sub-region, botanical variety, grade, processing, storage, logistics, roast and freshness. Excluding effective auctions, higher prices may not guarantee a better tasting coffee.
Storage and freshness are key because coffee does not age well. Indeed, assuming the flavor has not been compromised by logistics and storage, fresh green coffee has a 6-12-month shelf life while fresh roasted whole bean has a 30-day window.
As the importer of these potentially fine coffees, IT IS THE RETAIL ROASTER WHO DETERMINES THE QUALITY AND FRESHNESS OF OUR COFFEE.
Finding a reputable retail roaster with good customer service, a good menu of single origin coffee and consistency is a Herculean task. Given the limited shelf life, always looming new crop and roaster inconsistency, the ongoing journey never ends.
Organic, free trade, direct trade, sustainable, certified, relationships and consistent buying all make sense, but coffee that shoots the lights out on the cupping table is really what the specialty coffee game is about.
While there are exceptions, roaster websites are not generally well developed or organized and many do not disclose all the information required to make an informed purchase, including the origin, roast, ounces per bag, processing, etc. Some lack contact information while others fail to follow up on inquiries. Many also use a poor choice of colors and fonts that make the websites difficult to read.
Fortunately, many roasters specializing in East African coffee provide more detail and organized information, including the granular source, varietal, processing, roast and roast date.
Blends are being hyped by roasters and while they might be relevant to coffee drinkers, they are not very relevant to coffee lovers that already know what they want. Affordability is another issue because there are high-quality single origin coffees that are affordable and offer real value. Indeed, many blends are priced higher than good single origin coffee.
VOLCANICA EAST AFRICAN COFFEE: As Good As It Gets
Volcanica is currently offering nine East African single origin coffees, including the Kenya AA (Nyeri Hill Estate), the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and the Tanzania Peaberry (Nitin Estate, Ngorongoro Crater). All are washed and roasted light or medium light.
In addition to being among the highest quality East African coffee on the market today, they offer real value. Indeed, Volcanica's 16 oz pricing is less than what many of their competitors are charging for 12 oz.
Volcanica's website is also developed, organized and provides granular details appreciated by coffee lovers. JBC has also done a good job with their website development and disclosure.
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