Cameroon is an ideal place for growing coffee, since it has all the things that coffee needs in order to thrive. High altitude (the highlands, where much of Cameroon’s coffee is grown, averages around 5000 feet above sea level), plenty of rainfall, and rich volcanic soil mean that Cameroon has perfect conditions and just the right environment for coffee production. A lot of the coffee grown in Cameroon is robusta, which is grown in all the provinces except the north. Arabica is mostly produced in the west, northwest and east, where the altitudes are higher. The result is beautifully sweet and mellow coffee beans.

Coffee production in Cameroon is mainly done by small farmers – a fact that is seen as both a good thing and a bad thing in the coffee business. In the negative sense, the farmer-level processing can make it difficult to keep up consistent quality levels. However, as funding is granted (by facilitators like the Farmers Cooperative Initiatives), groups of small farmers are becoming able to set up centralised washing stations, which is helping to overcome the irregularities and differences in cup profile and appearance of the   green coffee bean from one farmer to the next. Cameroon Boyo is one of the coffees which has seen a great deal of improvement in this respect over the past decade.

And of course, the positive aspect of the small farmer processing of Cameroon coffee is the fact that the resulting coffees are unique and special, with distinctive and exciting cup profiles and flavours thanks to having been produced on such a small scale. Cameroon coffee – done properly! - is earthy and heavy-bodied, with hints of chocolate and berries. The acidity is moderate and bright, and the fruity flavours and tones make it a popular coffee.

Cameroon coffee is unique in that the country produces a “longberry” - like peaberries, but shaped sort of like footballs! Cameroon Boyo coffee has a longberry variety which is sweet and soft, with a delicate balance of body and flavor. As with the majority of Cameroon coffees, a light to moderate roast is better than a dark roast, and the longberry beans become sweet and full flavored in this way, without the bitter characteristics that would come from a dark roast. The coffee has a hint of spicy pungency with a full bodied profile, making it earthy-tasting with a pleasant finish.

The striking characteristics of coffee grown in Cameroon’s Boyo region are the direct result of the nutrient rich, darkly volcanic soil in a really ideal climate. As the coffee plants blossom each year, the first rains descend on the area, which helps to provide extra nutrients washed down from even higher slopes and giving the coffee plants further nourishment. As the berries ripen, the dry season starts, so the beans are bathed in strong sunshine and very rapidly reach their optimal sugar levels. It is a complex and perfect process, resulting in distinct flavours and a truly unique Cameroon coff

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