Blackburn Estate is one of the higher elevation farms in Tanzania, and produces great coffee. But they face chronic water problems due to the local terrain, and higher transportation costs because they are more remote from the dry mills in Moshi. They also face unique vandalism problems due to the fact they are so near beautiful Ngorongoro Conservation Area: water buffalo and elephants. The farm is situated on the eastern slope of Mt. Oldeani. Blackburn Estate’s coffee trees, whose varieties include Bourbon and Kent are planted at an altitude of 1,760 and 1,950 meters. In search for water, elephants uproot water pipes bringing that precious resource to the farm. Water buffalo take a more direct route: they just step on the coffee shrubs, smashing the woody growth, shattering the trunks. Blackburn Estate has been a Black Apron selection from Big Green (aka Starbucks) and to give them credit where due, they have aided greatly in water projects for the farm and the people in local communities. I have cupped Blackburn in the distant past, and it faces some of the typical problems of all Tanzania coffees; it is sometimes damaged in transit out of the country by heat and excess humidity at port. In fact, we rejected the AA lots this year, as well as the Ngorogngoro Convent lot because they tasted faded and old. Oddly, the Peaberry lot that shipped in the same container was really nice. I can't explain it - perhaps it was in the center of the shipping box and less affected by ambient humidity and temperature (?). But cupping is believing when it comes to coffee, and the PB outcups the AAs from 2 different importers by a good distance. The dry fragrance has boysenberry fruit, and caramel-molasses syrup. Wet aromatics are very sweet, fruited, winey. The cup is bright and Kenya-like, but not as sour in acidity as most Kenyas. The cup is juicy and has cane sugar and panela (brown sugar/vanilla cake) sweetness. The body is sufficient, not super heavy or texturous. The cup is dominated by juicy berry fruit, and this undeniable sweetness, which lingers well into the aftertaste. The fruit has this very ripe, winey character, Syrah-like, but is not at all vinegary or fermenty (what happens when ripe fruited notes turn to bad overripe fruity notes). Initially, the intensity of the hot cup seems low, actually. Sweetness, fruit and winey flavors come to the foreground as the cup cools. I enjoyed the darker roasts too, FC to FC+, with dark fruit, brown sugar, and chocolate character in abundance.



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