Sustainable Harvest

This past year, Sustainable Harvest quality expert Stephen Vick and two Tanzanian cuppers he trained, Serafina Gerald Mathias and Shabani Mahwisa, cupped and tracked more than 800 distinct samples of coffee from the Kanyovu cooperative to help farmers maximize the direct sale of their best beans. After so many cuppings, Serafina and Shabini knew the particular coffee they wanted to enter into the 2010 African Taste of Harvest competition: an outstanding cup from the Mkabogo washing station.

Stephen describes the Mkabogo coffee and the final round of the Taste of Harvest competition, which took place at the annual EAFCA conference in February:

Coffee from the Mkabogo washing station, part of eastern Tanzania's Kanyovu Coffee Cooperative, recently won the 2010 Taste of Harvest competition

When I began roasting the day lots for the Kanyovu washing stations last summer, I knew there was something special about the Mkabogo coffee, not only in the way it cupped, but also in the way that it developed in the roaster. Just a couple weeks into roasting and cupping the early harvest lots, I could determine if the batch I was roasting was from the Mkabogo washing station as soon as it started cracking. The finished sample stood out visually on the table, and the cup profiles I was tasting last summer were incredible: bright acidity with flavors of rose hip, fresh fig, and apricot balanced out with a beautiful sugar cane sweetness.

Needless to say, I had high hopes for Mkabogo’s performance in the Taste of Harvest. It had already won the in-country competition back in December, and I was mainly worried about competition from East African powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia.

Then came the closing dinner of the EAFCA conference, where they announced the 2010 Taste of Harvest international winners. This took place at Fort Jesus, a large fort on Mombasa Island, built in 1593 by the joint Portuguese and Spanish Kingdom. Craig Holt from Atlas Coffee Importers organized this Taste of Harvest competition, and began the announcement by introducing the esteemed jury. Then, Craig announced the winners of each position—5th place in-country winners competed with the other 5th place finishers, 4th place with the other 4th placers, and so on. My concerns were growing as Kenyan coffees were won 5th place, 3rd place, and 2nd place winners. Finally, Craig announced the overall winner for the 2010 EAFCA Taste of Harvest: “Kanyovu AA -Kigoma, Tanzania!”

I shrieked with excitement and high-fived the Sustainable Harvest team, as Sara called Gena back in Tanzania so that she could inform the Kanyovu cooperative.

-Stephen

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