Thirsty Thursdays: Zanzibar Coffee in Arusha, Tanzania

zanzibar coffee arusha

Thirsty Thursdays – Zanzibar Coffee in Msumbi Coffee Shop Arusha Tanzania

Drinking coffee in Africa is something you have to do. The amount of coffee grown and produced on this continent is phenomenal. While staying in Arusha, on a quiet morning it was coffee time. I’m one who loves to relax over a coffee, sometimes reading a book or just enjoying the views with my girlfriend, as we did in Little Likeng in China.

msumbi tanzanian coffee

Thirsty Thursdays – Zanzibar Coffee in Msumbi Coffee Shop in Arusha, Tanzania

Thanks to Natasa Fras, a Slovenian lady who now resides in Tanzania, we were taken for morning coffee after checking out the Kibowa Orphanage in Tanzania and Esa Primary School (reports on those two trips to follow at some point). So we headed to the Msumbi Coffee House in Arusha. It’s in a car park off one of the major roads through the city.

world coffee map

I loved the way they had a Coffee World Map on the wall!

On arrival at Msumbi Coffee Shop, it became apparent that this was a speciality coffee shop. On the wall there was a map of coffees of the world, in the cafe itself was a coffee machine from Colombia and lots of information on coffee. Not to mention a load of references to the nearby countries that all produce coffee (Kenya, Somaliland (and Somalia) and Tanzania). I glanced at the menu…

msumbi coffee shop

The menu at Msumbi Coffee Shop in Arusha. What shall I have?

Now what to order when in Tanzania at a coffee shop? Well it has to be Tanzanian coffee, so I did. I picked out the Zanzibar Coffee which seemed the most “local”.

zanzibar coffee

What’s in a Zanzibar Coffee?

According to the menu, Zanzibar Coffee contains cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and cardamon and would be spicy. Priced at 4,000 Tanzanian Shillings, so over $2 US but less than $3 US Dollars.

zanzibar coffee tanzania

My spicy Zanzibar Coffee in Arusha, Tanzania

So my Zanzibar Coffee arrives. I add some sugar and get tasting it!! And yes it is spicy but it tastes great. Just what I needed! I was a bit knackered, as we all were from the previous few days of safari, probably just as well there’s only one photo of me on this post. Pretty tired looking!

coffee tanzania zanzibar

Enjoying my spicy Zanzibar Coffee in Arusha

Annette my fellow traveller from Bucket List Journey and Raymond from Man on the Lam also opted for Zanzibar Coffee and we just sat and relaxed taking it all in. I think Natasa (from Shadows of Africa) and Timo (our Safari Tour guide and driver) had a slightly more normal coffee. Well they live there, who could blame them. It’s always the tourists who try the local specialities and obscure products.

coffee Tanzania

Some of the coffee on sale at Msumbi Coffee Shop

After enjoying the spicy coffee (the black pepper taste was prominent and apparent) I had a look around the shop. The Msumbi Coffee Shop itself sells coffee beans too of course as well as doing light snacks and other drinks. Here are a few more photos from my visit:

msumbi coffee shop

Coffee Beans at Msumbi

colombian coffee machine tanzania

A coffee machine all the way from Colombia – reminded me of sipping coffee in Santa Ana Alta

african flags coffee

Proud flags of the Africa countries in the region.

This was my last day in Tanzania and there will be more to follow on it. I had a wonderful time in the country on safari, visiting an orphanage and a local school. I was there as a Guest of Shadows of Africa.

A Video from Msumbi Coffee Shop, Arusha, Tanzania:

Thirsty Thursdays is an ongoing regular feature on Don’t Stop Living – a lifestyle of travel. If you have a bar, pub, drink, restaurant, brand or idea that you would like featured on Thirsty Thursdays, please get in touch via my contacts page or my advertising page. I’d love to hear from you, and I’d also love a complimentary coffee…

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