I am a big Vera fan! Vera is a quietly assured, lovely human being. During Covid, I discovered her coffee and, alongside other Tanzanian producers of the Ngorongoro Crater, some of whom were pushing the envelope of unusual processing and moisture content. Ngila Estate was this coffee that (to me) sang a song of terroir. No gimmicks, just great levels of softness, sweetness and fruit.
You have to love what great Tanzanian coffee does in the cup. Unlike other East African coffees, it is a softer and gentler way to start the day. Lower acidity and a more genteel cup.
This is the “base” coffee. We have our biggest range ever from Vera this year and some absolute gems.
Owner: Vera Stucker
Farm: Ngila Estate.
Area: Arusha Northern Tanzania
Process: Fully washed (and shade-grown)
Varietal: Kent, screen AB
Altitude: 1560-1640 Meters above sea level
Roast: Filter Roast
The Ngila Estate is based on the slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater, and they have been growing coffee for over 100 years. There is a set aside of 80 hectares of preserved rainforest that reaches 1800 meters above sea level. Ngila is certified by the Rainforest Alliance and uses natural insecticides, like Neem extract, and mineral fertilisers.
Ngila determines the trees that they are going to pick using a Brix meter; picking is selective, and sorting is very intensive. Many of the workforce at Ngila are migrants. For some, it is a break from stone crushing, which is another local manual labour.
Tanzania has a growing population of over 60 million people. The population has grown by a million a year for the last 50 years. Yes, that is a population growth of 5-fold in 50 years.
One of the mega-perks (pun intended) of my “job” is to take coffees on my travels and brew them in different ways. This is one of the reasons you might see random pictures of coffee-making in different places.
In a cupping bowl:
Aromatics: Light, soft fruit. Body: Tea-esque Acidity: Shy, sweet citric.
Light, soft red fruits start this off with a little soft citrus and white sugars, like a lemon drizzle. This is the “base coffee” from Ngila this year, but still a great understated light filter. On cooling, there is a drying “spiceiness” in the finish, a hint of savoury and a wave more sweetness again. The body is etherially light and very black-tea-like.
I have drunk this in batch brews, at home and at the roastery. Amongst the various brews, I think I (narrowly) prefer this in V60, as you have a higher yield and when you start off with a shy coffee, that can work really well.
