Tanzania Leon Christianakis - Pacamara (250g)
After a long search, and many months of impatient waiting, we could not be more eager to welcome this one of a kind washed pacamara offering from Leon Christianakis’ farm, Acacia Hills, onto our menu. With his work at Acacia Hills, Leon is producing not only the best, most vibrant lots in Tanzania, but some of the most exquisite coffee coming out of Africa at the moment. This is an unusually complex cup, offering up layers of fruit, both in aroma and taste. Immediately, we notice the sweet, crisp juiciness of just-ripe pink and orange fruits, putting us in the space of papaya and guava. To tame and add further complexity to this sweetness, in comes a hit of bright, lively, effervescent lime at the top of the palette, which is then mellowed and brought into balance with the cup as a whole by a dark, round, syrupy note of stewed blueberry. It is truly a wild trip and an absolute pleasure to sip on this coffee.
Leon Christianakis is the third generation of his family to grow coffee in Tanzania, his ancestors having immigrated from Greece in the early 20th century, with the intention of making a living in coffee production. The land they initially cultivated was not suitable, however, to growing specialty-grade coffee due to its low altitude; consequently, in the early 2000s, Leon began searching for lands at higher altitude that would be more suitable to the cultivation of coffee of exceptional quality. In 2007, Leon, in partnership with Mark Stell, purchased the land on Mount Oldeani that would become Acacia Hills, and planted trees whose varietals have high quality potential at altitude, namely, kent, SL28, pacamara, and geisha. Pacamara, which makes up this lot, was first created in 1958 by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research by crossing the pacas and maragogipe varietals. Pacas, then, is a natural mutation of the bourbon varietal, and maragogipe is a natural mutation of the typica varietal. Pacamara is lauded within the industry for its overall quality and complexity of flavor, typically possessing a medium body and an abundance of citrus, berry, stone fruit, and floral flavor notes.
To maintain the integrity of the delicate flavor-balance present in this coffee, we recommend enjoying it black — without milk and sugar.
To preserve flavor integrity, all coffee is sold whole-bean.
After a long search, and many months of impatient waiting, we could not be more eager to welcome this one of a kind washed pacamara offering from Leon Christianakis’ farm, Acacia Hills, onto our menu. With his work at Acacia Hills, Leon is producing not only the best, most vibrant lots in Tanzania, but some of the most exquisite coffee coming out of Africa at the moment. This is an unusually complex cup, offering up layers of fruit, both in aroma and taste. Immediately, we notice the sweet, crisp juiciness of just-ripe pink and orange fruits, putting us in the space of papaya and guava. To tame and add further complexity to this sweetness, in comes a hit of bright, lively, effervescent lime at the top of the palette, which is then mellowed and brought into balance with the cup as a whole by a dark, round, syrupy note of stewed blueberry. It is truly a wild trip and an absolute pleasure to sip on this coffee.
Leon Christianakis is the third generation of his family to grow coffee in Tanzania, his ancestors having immigrated from Greece in the early 20th century, with the intention of making a living in coffee production. The land they initially cultivated was not suitable, however, to growing specialty-grade coffee due to its low altitude; consequently, in the early 2000s, Leon began searching for lands at higher altitude that would be more suitable to the cultivation of coffee of exceptional quality. In 2007, Leon, in partnership with Mark Stell, purchased the land on Mount Oldeani that would become Acacia Hills, and planted trees whose varietals have high quality potential at altitude, namely, kent, SL28, pacamara, and geisha. Pacamara, which makes up this lot, was first created in 1958 by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research by crossing the pacas and maragogipe varietals. Pacas, then, is a natural mutation of the bourbon varietal, and maragogipe is a natural mutation of the typica varietal. Pacamara is lauded within the industry for its overall quality and complexity of flavor, typically possessing a medium body and an abundance of citrus, berry, stone fruit, and floral flavor notes.
To maintain the integrity of the delicate flavor-balance present in this coffee, we recommend enjoying it black — without milk and sugar.
To preserve flavor integrity, all coffee is sold whole-bean.
After a long search, and many months of impatient waiting, we could not be more eager to welcome this one of a kind washed pacamara offering from Leon Christianakis’ farm, Acacia Hills, onto our menu. With his work at Acacia Hills, Leon is producing not only the best, most vibrant lots in Tanzania, but some of the most exquisite coffee coming out of Africa at the moment. This is an unusually complex cup, offering up layers of fruit, both in aroma and taste. Immediately, we notice the sweet, crisp juiciness of just-ripe pink and orange fruits, putting us in the space of papaya and guava. To tame and add further complexity to this sweetness, in comes a hit of bright, lively, effervescent lime at the top of the palette, which is then mellowed and brought into balance with the cup as a whole by a dark, round, syrupy note of stewed blueberry. It is truly a wild trip and an absolute pleasure to sip on this coffee.
Leon Christianakis is the third generation of his family to grow coffee in Tanzania, his ancestors having immigrated from Greece in the early 20th century, with the intention of making a living in coffee production. The land they initially cultivated was not suitable, however, to growing specialty-grade coffee due to its low altitude; consequently, in the early 2000s, Leon began searching for lands at higher altitude that would be more suitable to the cultivation of coffee of exceptional quality. In 2007, Leon, in partnership with Mark Stell, purchased the land on Mount Oldeani that would become Acacia Hills, and planted trees whose varietals have high quality potential at altitude, namely, kent, SL28, pacamara, and geisha. Pacamara, which makes up this lot, was first created in 1958 by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research by crossing the pacas and maragogipe varietals. Pacas, then, is a natural mutation of the bourbon varietal, and maragogipe is a natural mutation of the typica varietal. Pacamara is lauded within the industry for its overall quality and complexity of flavor, typically possessing a medium body and an abundance of citrus, berry, stone fruit, and floral flavor notes.
To maintain the integrity of the delicate flavor-balance present in this coffee, we recommend enjoying it black — without milk and sugar.
To preserve flavor integrity, all coffee is sold whole-bean.
Producer Leon Christianakis at Acacia Hills, laying out of freshly-harvested cherries on raised drying beds, coffee trees in bloom, the groves.