coffee from Zambia - Mafinga Mountains

Zambia, formerly Rhodesia, is a landlocked country in the south-central part of Africa. After centuries of colonization, it gained independence in 1964 and changed its name to Zambia. The name comes from the name of the largest of the rivers, which in the local language means Great River. The vast majority of Zambia is savannah forest and the population is concentrated in two centers, the capital Lusaka and the copper belt, Northern Province. Copper mining and export has always been the mainstay of exports, although now coffee is becoming increasingly important.

Similarly, the country's coffee crop is growing, with crops from the Northern Province accounting for over 97% of Zambia's total coffee exports. Northern Province is the best area for coffee plantations due to its location closer to the equator than the rest of the country.

In addition to mineral-rich soil; constant temperature, water and altitude are needed to grow coffee, so the best region to grow coffee is the Mafinga Hills, near the border with Malawi. This is a mountain range whose highest peak, Mafinga Central, reaches 2339 meters above sea level and is also the highest peak in Zambia. The Luangwa River, one of the largest rivers in Zambia, also has its source here.

The coffee that we have the pleasure to offer you at Sochaccy Coffee Roastery comes from the Mafinga Mountains, where mainly Caturra and Bourbon arabica varieties are grown, and the plantations are scattered at altitudes of 1,500 to 1,650 meters above sea level.

The coffee was processed using the washed method. Within 5 hours of being picked from the bush, coffee berries are submerged in large tanks of water to distinguish between ripe and immature berries; ripe berries sink and immature berries float to the top and are caught. The short interval between picking from the bush and starting to remove the top skin from the coffee serves to preserve maximum natural coffee flavor and freshness. This ensures that Zambia Mafinga Hills coffee best preserves the natural flavor of Zambian coffee. As with roasting the coffee after ordering and shipping on the day of roasting; this is also when we get unparalleled freshness; intense aroma and flavor. After removing the unripe berries, we get the best part of the harvest for export. Then the coffee berries are put into drums, where the top part of the berry is crushed and in this way we get the green coffee beans, which still have to be dried before being packed into jute bags. The water with the pulp residue is used as fertilizer for the coffee plants.

The coffee has notes of honey, red grapes and black tea with a touch of bright acidity.