​The taste of people has been built with the course of history, and some events have strongly contributed to shape it. Like for example, the arrival in Europe of sugar or spices during the medieval era. Throughout history some flavors appears and others, like bitterness, go out of fashion.

​Taste today, is strongly influenced by current times. In a connected, interdependent and frenetic world, we depend on our socio-historical condition to appreciate the flavor. 

Aroma, taste and flavor are closely related concepts, however, they have different definitions. Taste and aroma are closely associated with each other, and both are perceived by processes within the areas of the limbic system, which deal with emotions, memories and stimulation.

The aroma is defined as an odor, perceived through the nose and retronasally, and also through the back of the mouth, where the nasal and buccal cavities are interconnected. Taste is the sense experienced by the tongue and describes sensations of saltiness, sweetness, acidity, bitterness or umami. Flavor is defined as a combination of aroma and flavor.

​Only two centuries ago, we began to understand this important process, when in 1854 the French chemist Louis Pasteur determined that fermentation is caused by yeast. In very simple terms, yeast is an unicellular microorganism classified as a fungus, which perform the decomposition of sugars by alcoholic fermentation.

Today, the importance of fermentation and yeast in the production of beverages and food is absolute. Various studies, for example, show that the yeast associated with wine or chocolate fermentation, significantly influences its properties, including its flavour and aroma.

​Fortunately, and despite the fact that the microbiota of coffee fermentation is still mysterious and poorly understood, more studies are being conducted to understand the impact of fermentation and yeast on our cup result.

A very interesting study was conducted in 2016 by Dr. Aimee Dudley and her team. They were trying to determine if the specific yeast of coffee was transported through their plants and human activity, or if particular regions of the world harbor these specific populations of yeast?

​The results were striking, since it was discovered that unlike wine, the more natural styles of coffee fermentation, have generated several yeast strains with independent origins. It was also found that the strains associated to coffee from specific places, are the result of a mixture of yeast strains from different parts of the world.

Considering that the varieties of yeast found in coffee fermentations are genetically more diverse than those of wine, they could play a much more important role in the development of coffee properties in different parts of the world, or what would be known as the "MICROBIAL TERROIR".

​In Kenya, after a certain lot has been processed, it will be delivered to the Marketing Agent (MA) in parchment by the farmer or cooperative. The MA will then mill and grade the lot by shape and size, and give this particular lot an unique "Outturn Number" (ON), before delivering it to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. This ON system will be crucial to provide transparency and traceability to the system.

​The once full lot will have now a unique ON but many different grades, that can go from:

AA (7,2 mm), 
AB (6,6 mm), 
PB (peaberries), 
C (screen 14-15), 
E, TT, T, UG, MH, ML; these are just some of the full range of different grades.

According to our experience cupping at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, the best coffees are found always between the grades AA, AB, PB and C. But the system assumes that the bigger the bean the better the cup, but that is not always correct. We have had many times the best cup in the C grade and not in the AA for the same ON.

​Anyway, to make our search more efficient, considering the great number of samples and the limited time we have, we focus only in the AA, AB, and PB grades. Through that selective research, the centralized system of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange has allowed us, to discover some hidden jewels from very remote areas of the country, that it would have been impossible to find just travelling around.

In simple words the Nairobi Coffee Exchange works as a weekly Cup of Excellence, stimulating competition and prices for the best lots; and the different grades generate the synergy that provides the best formula for maximizing the benefits of small farmers.

This formula becomes particularly important, in times like this week, when the Coffee Futures in New York plummet to minimums of more than 12 years to 100.4 cts / lb.

Enjoy your Kenya coffee in Barcelona and Santiago!

​These initiatives were called "The Green Revolution" and involved the use of high yielding varieties, higher fertilizers dosages, intensive and mono cropping, the development of highly toxic and life damaging pesticides, among others.

After this changes, the food production increased dramatically in the world, and it is said the over 1 billion people were saved from starvation. Today, this very achievement, though remarkable, has costed us dearly in socioeconomic terms for small farmers, reduction of biodiversity, increase of green house emissions and health issues related to the excessive use of pesticides.

​According to the World Coffee Research "most African coffee-producing countries produce substantially lower volumes of coffee than elsewhere. This has profound impacts for farmer livelihoods when farmers are paid per pound of cherry. There is a widespread need for replanting with young trees that are resistant to major diseases and pests (including coffee berry disease, coffee leaf rust, antestia bug and stem borer), and with improved varieties. The World Coffee Research believes that over 50% of coffee trees in Africa are more than 50 years old."

​In Kenya particularly, we have always selected lots where the cultivars are exclusively SL28 and SL34, because we love the complexity, dense sweetness, citric acidity and the viscosity in the cup of these two varieties. But we understand the unpostponable necessity of experimenting and promoting new varieties with higher yieldings, tolerant to diseases and adaptability to warmer climates.

Our new lot Kabunyeria AB is the first ever lot we source of Ruiru11 and Batian in Kenya. Cultivated in the Kericho county at an average altitude of well over 2000 masl, this lot is cupping great for espresso, very sweet with a full body and a gentle well balanced citric acidity.

We invite you to try it and discover the full potential of Kenyan coffees and its new varieties of the 21st century. 

Enjoy your Kenya Kabunyeria AB!

​Certainly, the specialty coffee industry has grown exponentially in the last five years. The progress we have seen and experienced in farming, processing, logistics, roasting and brewing are undeniable and certainly admirable. But is this level of growth sustainable in the long term? Are we neglecting quality to privilege the quantity?

​We must never forget, that the fundamental pillar of our industry is quality. From farm to cup, what sets us apart from other sectors of the coffee business, is simply quality. But not only the quality of the bean, also the quality of our commercial relationships (ETHICS), the kind of information we deliver (TRACEABILITY), our production processes (CUPPING), the way we relate to the environment (SUSTAINABILITY).

In times of massive festivals, where the offer is overwhelming, the visual stimulation excessive and the time limited, we must ask ourselves: How can one be able to consume and digest so much information and coffee in such a short period of time? Ask also, what is the purpose of this massive festivals? And with this, where do we want to go from here, and if this is the right path?

It is always a good time to make the necessary adjustments and amend the route.

Question everything and enjoy your coffee!

If climate change will be held in a temperature increase of 2ºC or less (Aim of the Paris Agreement 2015); By 2050 it is estimated that 40% of all Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions will be caused by ships and airplanes only, if not properly regulated.

​Right now, there are about 50,000 ships sailing the oceans and seas, to bring us 90% of all the products we consume daily. From bananas to petrol and from cell phones to coffee beans. Almost everything the world produces is transported by ships.
 
And despite the fact that many innovations have been made to improve the efficiency of airframes, engines, aerodynamics and the general operations of airplanes, only in the European Union, greenhouse gas emissions from aviation increased by 87% between 1990 and 2006.

​In Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees we travel directly to origin to search, cup and select those extraordinary coffee lots you enjoy so much. We can't do this work by video-conference or by phone, it is essential for us, to know the reality of the origin and the coffee producers. As well as for these coffees to reach your roaster at an attractive and competitive price, we must transport them by sea.
 
But we are aware of the impact that our work generates in the environment. Therefore, from this year onwards we will begin to measure the CO2 emissions that are released into the atmosphere due to our production process.

​By identifying and quantifying our sources of CO2 emissions, we can define better objectives and more effective emission reduction strategies, in addition to a compensation commitment through the generation of incentives for planting more coffee trees in the different places of the world where we are working.
 
Our goal is to become a "Neutral Carbon" company, which means we are removing the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere, as the one we are generating.
 
For a healthier planet, with more and better coffee.

​After crossing three oceans, the Suez and Panama Canal and also the Red and Mediterranean Sea, we finally have totally available in Barcelona and Santiago our new Tanzanian lots and microlots.

It took us three trips in the span of three years, to be able to find these extraordinary lots and microlots, with complete traceability to the farm or the washing station (as the case may be). Although, Tanzania has similar conditions and the potential of Kenya or Burundi to produce excellent coffees; for various historical, political, economic, cultural and environmental reasons, the local coffee industry has not managed to develop like its neighbors, and therefore, until very recently it was very difficult to find high quality coffees throughout the country.

​Fortunately, since five years ago, several private companies have begun to invest in infrastructure and support cooperatives and small coffee farmers to encourage them to produce more and better coffees. Although, at the beginning of this year the government of Tanzania put the quota of uncertainty, announcing a series of changes in the regulations of the local coffee industry.

Basically, as of July 2018, all coffee will be sold through auctions administered by the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB). As of the same date, there will be no issuance of licenses to buy parchment or cherry. The TCB will develop a certified coffee catalog where exporters will compete to buy certified coffee through the auction system.

​At first glance, these and other changes point to the establishment of the same centralized auction system with which 90% of coffee is commercialized in Kenya. But it will also be necessary to see how this new system is introduced and adopted by the various actors in the local coffee industry, and whether these changes will have an impact on the quality and traceability of the future lots that we buy in Tanzania.

Everything remains to be seen, but as always, we will be alert to inform you of any news.

For now enjoy the moment, the trip and your cup of Tanzania!

​In producing countries (which are almost all very poor), coffee is a fundamental part of the life of its inhabitants and the country's Gross Domestic Product. Therefore, the future and decisions of the coffee industry will always be influenced by a more general vision of a group of politicians, who without having the expertise or without seeking proper advice, decide what "they believe best" for a group of people or coffee farmers, which are ultimately the "heart" that pumps the money into the economy of a coffee producing country.

This is the case of Ethiopia, where the country's majority ethnic group the Oromos (who are mostly coffee producers and farmers), have been at the center of chaos for the past three years, staging violent protests against the central government (led by the minority Tigray ethnic group) accusing them of marginalize Oromos from the rapid economic growth of the country and constant violation of human rights.

​Last month, Hailemariam Desalegn unexpectedly resigned to his post as prime minister, saying that his resignation "was vital to carry out the reforms that Ethiopia needs to have a sustainable and peaceful democracy". A few days ago, Abiy Ahmed was appointed as new Prime Minister. This 42 year old Oromo, born in the coffee town of Agaro, very close to Limmu, has great support from the younger generations of Oromos and also from other ethnic groups.

​We are following very closely the development of the conflict, the lifting of the state of emergency and the general political situation in Ethiopia; If everything goes well, we hope to receive our first shipment of the last crop 2017/18 in Barcelona next June.

To understand the coffee industry of a country, it is essential to understand its political situation and history. Enjoy your coffee!

​The model "takeaway" or "coffee to go" in disposable cups, is undoubtedly necessary and an important source of income for coffee shops, but we must be aware of its silent and unprecedented impact on the environment.

​What it looks like a simple "paper or cardboard" cup, also contains a plastic lamina produced on the basis of petrol (polyethylene), which makes these containers more resistant and able to contain liquid. The problem is that the production of these disposable cups entails four fundamental problems: 1.- The indiscriminate felling of trees to produce cellulose and paper; 2.- Chemicals are emitted in the environment to produce plastic; 3.- Non-clean energy is used for transportation; 4.- The waste generated ends up in landfills or directly in our oceans, and it will take more than 50-100 years  to breakdown.

Another necessary evil of the industry, are the GrainPro, Ecotact, Vacuum bags. Although its impact is not comparable to that of disposable cups by volume, we would like to know your experience in the use, reuse and recycling of this form of packaging so common today.

​We believe that the specialty coffee industry should address these problems today, and seek solutions together. A very interesting solution that we have seen, is the incentive of reduced prices to customers who bring their own mug to order their takeaway. Small changes like this can help building a more loyal clientele and spread green awareness.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

After the first selection, the outer skin and the pulp of the coffee cherries will be removed, using a locally built mechanical pulping machines, traditionally called "luwak". Right after pulping, overnight fermentation is needed for breaking the thick structure of the mucilage attached to the parchment. The following morning, the coffee is washed and there will be a 2nd selection, again by density, to remove the remaining floaters.

​Hulling machines in Sumatra are bigger and more powerful than normal hulling machines, because they need to generate more power and friction to strip off the still parchment from the still wet green bean. After the hulling, the green bean will emerge swollen and with a whitish/blueish color.

​For the second time, the green bean naked will go into drying again, until it reaches 12% moisture content. 

The final stage of the process is grading; or what we call the Triple Pick (TP). This stage includes the gravitational grading, size grading and hand sorting.