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Acacia Hills, AB Washed

£10.00

This is only the second coffee we've ever featured from Tanzania and it reminded us of why we fell in love with the first one. This often overlooked origin has the potential for superb quality and this example is beautifully structured and clean. We taste sweet summer fruits like strawberries, with juicy citrus notes and a richness like milk chocolate. This is one we can't stop brewing in the roastery.

Size
Grind size

Lot info

The coffee is shade grown in managed microclimates in the Ngorongoro highlands. The farm is shade-grown and run as part of an agroforestry system, which supports biodiversity and soil health. Practices include bio-char application and rotation cycles, intended to maintain the land over time and limit impact on the surrounding ecosystem. This lot is 100% Kent variety which typically shows a balanced flavour profile with bright acidity and citrus tones. The washed process was used to produce a clean, crisp profile.

Producer

In 2007, Leon and Aideen Christianakis bought Acacia Hills Coffee Estate, located in the forested highlands of Ngorongoro, in northern Tanzania. Leon's family had a background in coffee farming in Tanzania, and with specialty coffee gaining attention at the time, the couple set out to develop the estate as a producer of high-altitude, shade-grown coffee. The estate was run-down and neglected when they took it over. It has since been developed into a producer of award-winning coffee through sustained work over several years.

The estate follows a philosophy of precision, patience, and sustainability. Coffee is grown in shade-grown and agroforestry systems, with ongoing experimentation aimed at maintaining both crop quality and the surrounding forest ecosystem. Leon also shares knowledge from the farm with visitors, interns, and other producers in the region. The farm cultivates Geisha, Kent, Pacamara, and SL28 varietals there. Each lot and process is evaluated in an on-site cupping lab throughout the harvest, with cupping scores used to track quality and consistency and catch problems early.

Cultivar

Kent is a classic Coffea arabica variety, selected around 1911 by English planter L. P. Kent from a standout tree on the Doddengudda Estate in Mysore, India. Though drawn from local Typica populations, genetic analysis shows strong links to the Bourbon family. It was one of the first coffee selections bred for resistance to coffee leaf rust, and during the 1920s and 1930s was widely distributed across India and introduced to East African estates, including in Tanzania, for its high yields and cup quality. Its original rust resistance has since broken down against newer fungal strains, and many farmers now favour more recent disease-resistant hybrids, but Kent remains valued for its cup quality and is still grown on select estates.

In the cup, Kent typically offers a balanced, smooth profile with notes of dark chocolate, subtle spice, and ripe stone fruit, along with low-to-moderate, gentle acidity, mellow sweetness, and a clean aftertaste. The plant itself is tall-growing, with bronze-tipped new leaves and broad seeds.

Process

Washed coffees have the fruit removed before drying. After pulping, the seeds ferment briefly in tanks to loosen the sticky mucilage, then are rinsed clean and dried. The result is usually a clean, bright cup that lets the variety and the place it was grown speak clearly.

Read our full guide to the washed process →

Traceability

Producer Leon and Aideen Christianakis
Location Acacia Hills Estate, Ngorongoro Hills, Tanzania
Elevation 1,750 - 1,950 masl
Cultivar Kent
Preparation Washed
Harvest August - October 2025
Arrival January 2026
Exporter Acacia Hills Coffee Estate
Importer The Coffee Trail Limited