Masai Coffee - Kenya - Dallmayr GRAND CRU CAFÉ

Grand Cru MASAI - Premium coffee from Kenya

PROFILE

Origin: Kenya
Type: 100% Coffea Arabica
Quality: Authentic premium quality, washed Coffea Arabica, Grade AA+, Nyeri region
Roasting: Medium strength
Body: Very intense
Acidity: Succinct and perfectly balanced
Aroma: Highly aromatic and spicy, with a hint of blackcurrant
PREPARATION: Dallmayr GRAND CRU Masai is ideal for filter and French press coffee.

Out of Africa on the trail of an extra-special coffee aroma

One of the most heart-rending examples of love for Kenyan coffee is the story of Karen Blixen. In 1913 the Danish pioneer rose above the conventions of her day and set off for Kenya, which was then known as British East Africa, to cultivate coffee at the foot of the Ngong Hills. In the north of Nairobi, her 300,000 coffee bushes covered an entire plateau 2,000 metres above sea level. Coffee changed her life – and also played a pivotal role in her most famous book, "Out of Africa".

„I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills.“

These first words from her novel have gone down in the history of literature.

Dallmayr GRAND CRU Masai comes from small farms, some of which only have about 500 coffee plants. The farms are situated to the north of Nairobi in the Nyeri region, and are home to truly excellent coffee varieties. With its intense, spicy aroma and a hint of blackcurrant, this highly aromatic premium coffee is simply irresistible.

Mount Kenya Coffee cultivation in the shadow of a holy mountain

Mount Kenya, which gave the country its name, towers some 5,199 metres into the sky and is Africa’s second-highest mountain after Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Throughout the ages, the native inhabitants have worshipped the extinct volcano as the home of God. Out of respect for Him, natives always build their huts to face Mount Kenya. The foot of the mountain is home to an expansive, fertile highland area – ideal for coffee cultivation. The region stretches from Mount Kenya westwards and south-westwards towards the Aberdare Range – the longest mountain range in the country. This forms an optimal rain trap, ensuring that regular showers moisten the fertile, volcanic soil.

The coffee is harvested twice a year, and is done exclusively by hand. During each picking, only ripe, deep-red cherries are harvested. This means that the same bushes often need to be picked several times. Selecting the cherries directly from the tree takes a great deal of time and effort – but more than reaps its reward. After all, just one rotten coffee cherry can ruin a whole 60-kilogram sack of good coffee.

The fine berries from a delicate shrub grown with the pioneering spirit of a strong woman

Karen Blixen quickly realised that cultivating coffee demanded a great deal of strength and finesse. Sometimes, a light morning frost was enough to destroy an entire coffee bush. The plants are extremely sensitive. They are not resistant to strong wind, excessive heat, direct sunlight or cold conditions.

Back then, her idea of growing coffee at 2,000 metres was met with a total lack of understanding. ‘Coffee won’t grow at such heights,’ was the general opinion. Nevertheless, her success proved them wrong. Today, it is precisely this altitude that makes Arabica coffee so very special. The higher the altitude at which the plants grow, the cooler the average annual temperature. As a result, the coffee cherries take longer to ripen – and therefore have more time to develop flavour, aroma and their fine acidic touch.

Such hope filled my heart when the entire plantation staff lowered the plants in straight lines into the damp soil. Slowly, they would grow, protected, and in a darkness ideal for sprouting life provided by the clipped branches of nearby bushes.

This is how Karen Blixen described her first weeks on the coffee plantation in her autobiographical book. „Out of Africa“.

Scenery straight from the cinema along the trail of ivory and peanuts

In the midst of seemingly never-ending nature, two large urban centres stand: Nairobi in the Central Highlands, and Mombasa, a harbour metropolis on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Given the transport opportunities with Saudi Arabia and India, Mombasa is the older of the two cities. Nairobi first came into being with the construction of railway lines in the country. The railroad line between Mombasa and Nairobi was opened in August 1899, and continues to represent a vital line of communication in Kenya today. In addition to ivory, grain, tea and peanuts, the route was also used to transport coffee.

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