AvailableSpecialty
Tanzania · Kilimanjaro
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed
- Grade
- AB
- Screen
- 15/16
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 2 × 20ft
Citrus · Dark chocolate · Black tea
Tanzania · Grade
Tanzania AA Green Coffee
AA is the most quoted Tanzanian grade and the one where the gap between what buyers assume and what the designation means is widest.
- Species
- Arabica · Robusta
- Preparation
- Fully washed · Natural
- Harvest
- June–October in the south; July–December in the north
Quick answer
Tanzania AA is the largest flat-bean separation from a washed Arabica outturn, retained above screen 18 (approximately 7.14 mm). It is a size and preparation class produced at the dry mill and carries no cup guarantee — the profile comes from the region and the processing.
Contract on: region · grade · screen · process · crop · moisture · defect tolerance · cup approval.
Request current tanzania aa green coffeeWhat AA is
- Basis
- Size — screen separation at the dry mill
- Screen
- 18 and above, approximately 7.14 mm
- Species / process
- Arabica, fully washed
- Regions
- Produced across both the northern and southern belts
- Position
- Top of the Tanzanian size ladder below E (elephant)
AA sits above A (screen 17) and B (screen 16) in the ladder, with AB being the combined A and B block. See Tanzania coffee grades for the full set including TT and UG.
Region still decides the cup
AA is a size class, not a quality class
Both Tanzanian belts produce AA. A northern AA from Kilimanjaro and a southern AA from Mbeya are the same size class and quite different coffees — firmer and blackcurrant-driven versus sweeter and chocolatey. Specify the region alongside the grade or the most important variable is left open.
What AA costs in outturn
AA is the top of the size distribution and therefore a minority of any outturn. Pulling an AA parcel removes volume from the AB block that would otherwise have absorbed it, and the smaller the resulting parcel, the higher its per-kilo cost of production.
- In a season where the crop ran small, AA may not be fillable at the volume required, at any price.
- Drought during cherry development shifts the whole distribution downwards.
- The differential over the same coffee at AB reflects scarcity of the size class, not a quality difference.
- Where uniformity rather than maximum size is the requirement, a tight 16/17 band is often cheaper and roasts just as evenly.
Specifying Tanzania AA
- Region
- North or south, and the specific area
- Screen
- Retained on 18, maximum X% passing
- Defects
- Maximum full defects per 300 g
- Moisture
- Range plus method
- Crop year
- Explicit — Tanzania’s crop year is commonly quoted July–June
- Cup
- Approved sample
- Packaging
- 60 kg jute, hermetic liner recommended for long storage
Tanzania AA enquiries
Tell us the region and volume. We will confirm whether the current crop supports the size class at that quantity before quoting.
Request Current Crop OfferLast reviewed 2 min read
The distinction that matters
What this grade does not tell you
A grade is a preparation class. Everything below is a separate contract field, and every one of them moves independently of the grade name.
What it does fix
Tanzania AA Green Coffee encodes
- Bean size, as the screen the parcel is retained on
- Bean shape, where peaberry is separated from the flat-bean run
- Density, for the TT separation lifted off the AA/A/B run
- That the parcel met the preparation standard of a named grade
Use the grade to define the physical deliverable. Use the approved sample to define the cup. Both belong in the contract.
What it does not
Specify these separately
- Cup qualityTwo lots at the same grade from the same mill can cup several points apart. Only cupping tells you.
- Defect countA separate count on a defined sample, against a weighting table that differs by origin.
- MoistureA range plus the measurement method. Two meters on one parcel routinely disagree.
- Crop yearNothing in a grade name distinguishes current crop from a parcel that has been in store a year.
- DensityBulk density in g/L, which drives charge temperature and roast planning.
- Water activityStorage stability. Related to moisture but not derivable from it.
- TraceabilityCountry, station or day lot are different claims. A grade fixes none of them.
- Processing methodWashed, natural and honey can all carry the same grade at most origins.
Availability
Current Tanzania AA Green Coffee
Availability moves with the harvest, with milling and with prior commitments. Everything here is confirmed against the current crop on enquiry.
AvailableSpecialty
Tanzania · Mbeya & Songwe
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed
- Grade
- AA
- Screen
- 18+
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 1 × 20ft
Blackcurrant · Cocoa nib · Brown sugar
LimitedSpecialty
Tanzania · Mbinga & Ruvuma
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed
- Grade
- PB
- Screen
- PB 13/14
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 120 bags
Red apple · Molasses · Almond
On contract
Tanzania · Kagera
- Species
- Robusta
- Process
- Natural (dry-processed)
- Grade
- Screen 15 up
- Screen
- 15+
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 2 × 40ft
Quality
Quality evaluation
Every parcel runs the same sequence before it is offered and again before it is loaded. What is reported for a given lot depends on what the buyer specifies.
- 01Physical gradePreparation class against the origin’s own system
- 02Screen distributionRetention plus the percentage passing
- 03Defect analysisFull defects per 300 g on a stated weighting table
- 04MoistureRange plus the measurement method and instrument
- 05Water activityWhere the buyer specifies it, for storage stability
- 06DensityBulk density in g/L, for roast planning
- 07Sample roastTo a cupping profile, not a commercial roast
- 08CuppingMultiple cups, against the approved sample
- 09Buyer approvalThe retained sample the shipment is measured against
Crop
Tanzania crop calendar
Flowering, harvest, processing, milling and the export window. Regional cycles differ, so this is not one universal season.
Southern highlands — Mbeya, Songwe, Mbinga (Arabica)
Crop year commonly quoted July–June
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
HarvestPeak July–September
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Sep–Nov
- Cherry development: Nov–May
- Harvest: Jun–Oct. Peak July–September
- Processing & drying: Jun–Nov
- Dry milling & grading: Aug–Jan
- Main export window: Aug–May
The southern belt harvests earlier than the north and supplies the larger share of Tanzanian Arabica volume.
Northern highlands — Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Meru (Arabica)
Crop year commonly quoted July–June
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
HarvestPeak August–October
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Oct–Dec
- Cherry development: Dec–Jun
- Harvest: Jul–Dec. Peak August–October
- Processing & drying: Jul–Jan
- Dry milling & grading: Sep–Mar
- Main export window: Sep–Jun
Higher altitudes on Kilimanjaro and Meru pick latest, extending the window into December.
Kagera (Robusta)
Crop year commonly quoted July–June
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Sep–Nov and Mar–Apr
- Cherry development: Nov–Apr
- Harvest: May–Aug
- Processing & drying: May–Sep
- Dry milling & grading: Jul–Nov
- Main export window: Jul–Feb
Kagera Robusta is predominantly dry-processed, so the drying phase dominates the processing window.
Export
Packing and export
- Ports of loading
- Dar es Salaam, Tanga
- Bag standard
- 60 kg jute; GrainPro or equivalent liners on request
- Export window
- August through to the following June, peaking October–March
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF
Compare
Against the other East African origins
Grade designations do not translate between origins, and harvest windows barely overlap. This is how the region compares at a glance.
| Origin | Species | Main preparation | Representative grades | Harvest | Ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | Robusta · Arabica | Natural (Robusta) · Washed Arabica (WUGAR) | Screen 18 · Screen 17 · Screen 15 · FAQ | Robusta main crop November–February with a fly crop April–July; Elgon Arabica October–February | Mombasa (Northern Corridor) · Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) |
| Kenya | Arabica | Fully washed with soak · Mbuni (natural) | E · AA · AB · PB | Main crop October–December; early (fly) crop May–July | Mombasa |
| Ethiopia | Arabica | Fully washed · Natural (sun-dried) | Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 | October–January, varying by region and altitude | Djibouti (primary transit port) |
| Rwanda | Arabica | Fully washed · Natural (growing) | Grade 1 (fully washed) · Grade 2 · Screen 15+ · Screen 16+ | March–July, with the peak in April and May | Mombasa (Northern Corridor) · Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) |
| Burundi | Arabica | Fully washed with soak · Natural (limited) | Grade A · Grade B · Screen 15+ · Screen 16+ | March–July | Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) · Mombasa (Northern Corridor) |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is Tanzania AA coffee?
The largest flat-bean separation from a washed Tanzanian Arabica outturn, retained above screen 18. It is a size and preparation class produced mechanically at the dry mill, not a cup classification.
Does Tanzania AA taste better than AB?
Not inherently. Both come from the same cherry, processed the same way, and differ only in the screen that retained them. The differential reflects the relative scarcity of the larger size class.
Can Tanzania AA be supplied in volume?
Only to the extent the crop contains beans that size. AA is the top of the distribution, so available volume depends on the season and the region. In a small-bean year the size class may not be fillable at the quantity required.
Request an offer
Tell us the Tanzania coffee you need
Region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year, packaging and destination. Send what you know and we will confirm what Tanzania realistically supports for the current crop.