A coffee (or six) a day keeps the grumpy away. There’s no denying that we live in a constantly improving coffee culture, with trendy cafés popping up on every corner and urban roasteries getting ever the more sophisticated. So if you’re preparing to set foot on the African continent for the first time and you find yourself wanting to stash your Nespresso machine and Starbucks card into your luggage – you’re not alone.
The good news is that we, too, are coffee addicts here at &Beyond and we wouldn’t dare deprive you of this compulsory creature comfort while you’re on an &Beyond luxury safari. Let’s face it, your morning wake-up call will be early, there’s no getting around that, but we will always ensure it’s a rise and grind kind of morning and that you set off in search of Africa’s Big Five happy, energised and caffeinated.
Amarula image © Matt Yardley.
With National and International Coffee Day both happening this weekend, everyone’s got coffee on the brain. So whether you celebrate today or on Sunday – or both (we’re not judging) – then this blogs for you.
There are many crucial elements to a luxury safari and we believe that the simple luxury of a rich, piping hot cup of coffee while on safari is an absolute necessity. That’s why we’ve partnered with some of the continent’s finest coffee purveyors in South Africa and Tanzania to deliver that perfect cup of java in some of the most remote and beautiful corners of Africa.
‘Bean There’, done that
All of our safari camps and lodges in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are stocked with single origin, unblended coffee beans (which are optimally roasted in South Africa) from Bean There Coffee Company, South Africa’s first roaster of Certified Fairtrade coffee. Direct fair trade means that African coffee producers receive a fair payment for their coffee through equal engagement, regardless of market fluctuations, which promotes community development, empowerment and sustainability.
The Bean There team of expert, fun-loving baristas travel to our lodges regularly to ensure that our &Beyond “bush baristas” are fully trained on all things coffee, from pouring the perfect espresso and steaming the milk at just the right temperature, to delighting guests with a latte art masterpiece to brighten their day.
Coffee connoisseurs will fall in love with our brand new, sleek and interactive food and coffee bar at the newly rebuilt &Beyond Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp in Botswana. Overlooking a sparkling lagoon of the Okavango Delta, this well-stocked food, juice and coffee station is the hub of the lodge’s guest area. Here, guests can mingle with the chefs and baristas as they whip up sinfully-sweet waffles; fresh, natural and health-conscious juices; and aromatic, energy-boosting coffee. Whether you’re a self-confessed caffeine junkie, a one-cup-a-day stalwart – or you prefer to only drink coffee on days ending in ‘y’ – we’ve got your back.
The coffee capital
Most coffee aficionados know that Kenya and Tanzania are among the key coffee capitals of Africa, so it makes perfect sense that our East African lodges source their beans locally, sustainably and responsibly from a Tanzanian cooperative that grows its organic Arabica beans on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro (the highest peak of Africa). Globally celebrated as one of the world’s finest coffees, it is the volcanic soils of Mt Kili that give this coffee its distinct flavour.
Of course, our talented and energetic “bush baristas” in Kenya and Tanzania have also received extensive training on how to operate their brand new espresso machines and have now mastered the art of making the perfect espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, mocha and latte … complete with latte art and a signature, melt-in-your-mouth biscuit.
Each lodge has its own biscuit, baked with love, which celebrates that particular lodge. From hippos and crocodiles at &Beyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp to butterflies and tree-climbing lions at &Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, these moreish morsels certainly add to the coffee experience.
As many of you know, our beloved &Beyond Bateleur Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara is undergoing a fabulous makeover and one of the highlights we’re all looking forward to is what will certainly be hailed as the Mara’s best gin bar by night and coffee bar by day. Talk about a match made in heaven! Read more about the exciting Bateleur Camp rebuild here.
So, if coffee is your love language, then rest assured that you will feel loved and appreciated while on safari with us. And once you’re safely back home, still dreaming of your African adventure, may your coffee kick in before reality does! And if you find yourself missing those lodge spoils, these recipes may help remind you of the glorious sunrises and sunsets of Africa.
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