- Big-bodied, with some depth to the sweetness, raw sugars shift to notes of caramel taffy, with hints of carob chips, and subtle fruit accents in the aftertaste.
This is the first time a Malawi coffee we’ve carried. It’s not common to find in those speciality coffee trader list. Whenever have a chance, we jump at the opportunity to expand our origin list to include coffee from this underrepresented African country. The cup flavors found in Malawi coffees tend to find parity with Latin America, rather than many other African producing countries. This lot is sweet, bodied, milder acid, and well-balanced…the kind of coffee I like to drink every day!
Coffee was brought to the region in the 1800s by missionaries, and planted mostly in the southern regions, which is still the case today. What started as mainly a small-holder system, is now split between small farmers selling their coffee to cooperatives, and a few larger estates who process their own coffee, as well as buy from local farmers.
Sable Farms is one such estate, and one of the larger exporters of coffee in the country. Elevation in the country is much lower than neighboring Tanzania, and lower elevation (800 – 1200 meters) means the coffee is more susceptible to diseases like “La Roya”, and you see disease resistant strains like Catimor planted alongside Caturra and Catuaí trees. The farm have a nice, modern system, with drip irrigation on the farm, covered drying patios, and eco water filtering systems in place in order to re-use the water used to process the coffee. They currently employ 1700 farmers and workers in Mangochi, about half of which are year-round.
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- Origin: Malawi
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- Region: Mangochi District
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- Producer: Sable Farms
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- Altitude: 800-1200m
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- Cultivar: Caturra, Catimor
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- Processing: Wet Process (Washed)
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- Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s