In the early 1900s, Leon Christianakis’s grandparents emigrated from Greece to Tanzania, where they established coffee farms in the Arusha region. Leon spent his childhood on the family estate, deeply connected to coffee. However, he later pursued a career in pharmacy in the UK. Eventually, he and his wife, Aideen, returned to Tanzania, drawn back to his roots and a shared passion for coffee production.
In 2007, Leon and Aideen Christianakis joined forces with Mark Stell, founder of Portland Coffee Roasters in the U.S., to acquire and rejuvenate Acacia Hills Estate, and later Leon also purchase Tembo Tembo Estates and the two Estates boarder each other and are both located near Mount Oldeani. Perched at elevations reaching 1,900 meters, the estate is dedicated to cultivating high-quality coffee varieties. By emphasizing soil analysis, strategic shade management, and innovative processing techniques—such as controlled fermentation and shade-drying—the estate has continuously enhanced the quality and distinctiveness of its coffee.
Tasting Notes: Plum, apricot, red velvet
Origin: Oldeani Karatu
Varietals: Mixed local varieties
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1820 – 1900 MASL
BREW GUIDES
Filter: Pour Over (V60)
Dosage: 15g
Output: 250mL
Brew Time: 2:15-2:45 mins
- Preheat 300ml water to 92° Celsius.
- Place the paper filter on the V60 and, with the coffee dripper placed on your cup or vessel, rinse using about 50 ml of pre-heated water. Let the hot water drip into your cup, then discard.
- Grind your coffee medium-coarse and pour it into the paper filter, shaking it gently to ensure coffee is evenly distributed.
- Place your dripper and vessel on your scale and tare it.
- Start your timer and slowly pour hot water in a circular motion, making sure all the ground coffee is soaked. Use 50 ml of water for this first pour and let the coffee bloom.
- At 0:30 min start the second pour, using 100 ml of water. Once all water has fallen through, do a final pour using the remaining 100 ml.
- Stop the timer once all brewed coffee has finished dripping. You should end up with 250 ml of brew and a total brewing time between 2:15-2:45 minutes.
Adjust your grind size to change your extraction time:
- If your extraction time is too short, try a new brew after adjusting the grinder to a finer setting.
- If your extraction time is too long, try using a coarser grind size.
