The Nkima Story
Deep in the mountains on the northern banks of Lake Victoria, there’s a lodge that somehow seems both out of place and in near perfect harmony with the tropical forest canopy. An aromatic mist rose gently from the lush soil. A fresh rain that the land hadn’t seen in weeks seemed to bring everything around me new life. Like the dense red dust washing from the banana leaves, the salt from my perspiring foreheads ran into my eyes. When I opened them again, I was in a new world. The open air café, with the cacophonous squawks of hornbills and frenetic chattering of red-tail and vervet monkeys, contrasted against the familiar, comforting smell of freshly brewed local coffee.
Our medical team had just finished a week of seeing hundreds of patients in the rural region of southern Uganda and we were in need of some respite.
Sitting on the raised platform I sipped my coffee slowly, high up in the forest canopy, contemplating how to bring this feeling back home with me. It wasn’t just the place, it was a mental space, where time passed differently. Watching the hornbills battle over coveted perches for no discernible reason, I smiled to myself, wondering if that’s the way we often look, pushing, striving, fighting for position, unaware of the simple pleasures. Are we so wrapped up in our busyness that we forget to really take the time to slow down and enjoy the the little things that bring us joy?
Fast forward 2 months…
I had been trying for months to figure out a good long-term blend that I could depend on consistent availability and would knock the socks off even the most discerning barista. Alas, this coffee blend was borne of that failure. I have lost count of how many blends I had tried and failed to create an espresso roast that I could confidently stamp our label on and say, “this is is the sort of quality that Distant Mountains stands for!”
Our innovative cold-brew messless pouch
Our Cold-Brew messless pouch holds 3.5oz of perfectly ground coffee for you to make 32oz. your own perfectly brewed cold-brew at home, on your schedule.
It was this failure that led to a surprising victory that I didn’t realize was so near. As my all-star coffee-cupper consultant and I cupped this coffee on the table in the bakery, we both knew instantly. We just discovered something special.
This blend of coffee varietals from across South America and Africa came together in a cup that was complex but balanced, citrusy but smooth, rich but not earthy, with mild red fruit notes and a refreshingly sweet finish.
This versatile coffee has all the qualities I look for to create an amazing cup of coffee, especially a cold brew.
That same afternoon we did our final cupping of this amazing coffee, and we knew for certain, this was it. Next step was the cold brew test.
There’s something about cold-brewing coffee, maybe its the long brewing process, where imperfections have no where to hide, that you learn if a coffee really has what it takes to be something special. Coffee soaking for 12 hours in a mason jar can humble any bean, but this blend stood up.
I’ve tested this one on more people than any previous coffee I’ve produced, because I just wanted to know, is this really as good as I think it is. Over and over, the answer was “Yes! I can’t believe what I just tasted!” Seriously, I don’t know how many times I heard this. And this came from the ones who love their coffee sweet and full of cream, because they are usually the hardest to win over to a black, unflavored coffee. The reactions were all the same, wide-eyed amazement that not only did they not need creamer, but preferred this coffee without any.
You’ve really got to taste this one to believe it.
Since then, I’ve brewed this coffee in a number of ways. I’ve had very few coffees (and I’ve tried A LOT of different coffees) that can stand up to multiple brewing methods. This one, one that I had specifically blended to work as an espresso, was absolutely terrific with any method, except espresso.
Go figure.
But isn’t that how life goes sometimes? Our failures can turn into great successes if we slow down a bit, stop jockeying for the best perch, and just breath, observe, taste the experience.
