Coffee in Tanzania

Hello November. This autumn has been all kinds of awesome—in a flying-all-over-the-place, sleeping-in-strange-places, seeing-unbelievable-things kind of way. For the next little while though, I'm quite content to unpack my bags, tie on an apron and get back to stirring pots on stovetops.

But before that, I wanted to post a few photos from one of the food-related highlights of our East African trip: a visit to a small coffee plantation outside Arusha. There, we watched a rudimentary approach to coffee processing unfold before our eyes, from berry to bean to brew. True to the region, this choose-your-own-adventure tour got off to a rough start, veered off course multiple times and miraculously ended up exactly where we had hoped. It turns out that hakuna matata is more than just a Disney catchphrase.
In the beginning: coffee berries/cherries.
Inside the berries are seeds or "beans." These ones were dried in advance.


Into this contraption they go for hulling.
Separating the hulls from the beans.

R. gets in on the action.

Hulling the last few beans by hand.

After and before hulling.
Hulled coffee beans or "green coffee."
Let's roast!
Keep those beans moving.
This lady stepped in to show the guys how it's done.
Nearly there.
Shaking out the bits and bobs that don't belong.
Let's grind!
All hands on deck.
Getting the right grind.
In the end: a bold brew.

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