35,000 tonnes of coffee make up 20 % of Zimbabwe’s economy.
- Coffee came into Zimbabwe via European colonization around the 1850s.
- Sadly, in the 1920s, an unfortunate plague wiped out almost all of the Zimbabwe Coffee plants in the region.
- It took until the 1960s to have a coffee comeback in the country.
- The coffee production of Zimbabwe continues to suffer under the land reform of Robert Mugabe in early 2000, during which many landowners were expropriated and killed.
- Officially it was split up to small farmers, but it belongs to the politicians, who have no agricultural expertise and the areas partly simply grow profusely.
- The production volume is correspondingly low.
Advertisment
- The cultivation areas are located almost exclusively in the Highlands of 900 – 1,300 m in the eastern part of the country, around the town of Chipinge.
- The coffee is allowed to grow freely, but it is transplanted every few years.
- This keeps the plants strong and ensures a special high-quality Arabica coffee.
- Qualitatively equal with the best Kenyan coffees, the coffee is similar to the ones from Zambia.
- The taste is strong, intense and with fruit notes of dark berries and medium to strong acidity.
Zimbabwe Coffee Culture
In Zimbabwe coffee is mostly a drink for the wealthy people. Instead of paying for a premium beverage, people rather have a hot drink at home. Slowly the trend of hanging out in a coffee shop is growing in Zimbabwe, and as a consequence, a few coffee shops here and there have become popular, where you can drink a coffee or even have a full meal.
The most popular ways to prepare Zimbabwe coffee are pour-over, drip, French press, and cold brew coffee.
Advertisment
Zimbabwe’s top coffee brands are:
- Buffalo Buck’s Coffee House
- Coffee Around The World
- Koffee Kult
For advertising links on this page the dealer may pay a commission. These advertising links are marked with an asterisk (*) – images and banners are marked with “Ads” or “Advertisment”. There are no costs for you. Find more information in the data protection regulations here.