We at Convoy Road Coffee Roasters love bringing you coffees from countries you have probably never had coffee from before.

Here we go again. This coffee was grown in the western highlands of Cameroon by various small holder farmers. It is super smooth with a complex flavor profile that makes it hard to stop at just one cup.

If you have a more sophisticated palate you may detect notes of plum, orange, strawberry and toffee.

Coffee was first cultivated in Cameroon in 1884 by German Colonists. The story behind coffee taking hold in Cameroon begins with a man named Rene Coste. Mr. Coste was an agricultural engineer and recognized that the slopes of a volcano called Mt. Oku, provide the best growing conditions for coffee. He planted 200,000 seedlings and commercial cultivation of coffee in Cameroon was born.

Today, Cameroon grows about ½ million bags of coffee every year. This is down from a high of 3 million bags 30 years ago. This is largely due to government deregulation and assistance, old coffee trees (a coffee tree can live for up to 100 years) that produce lower yields, and unfair, corrupt players in some co-operatives.

Photo credit: Financial Times.