Buy Kenyan if you want a loud, citrus-forward cup, and Tanzanian if you want something softer and tea-like. On our bags, that means No. 4 Conjuncture (Kenya) for orange, lemon and floral notes, and No. 9 Optimism (Tanzania) for pear, jasmine and strawberry. Both are $28 for 12 oz, so the choice is about taste, not budget.
How do the two coffees compare on the label?
Everything below comes from the bag. Where the roaster, Temecula Coffee Roasters in Temecula, California, does not declare something, we leave it out.
| No. 4 Conjuncture | No. 9 Optimism | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Kenya | Tanzania |
| Region | Othaya, Nyeri County | Mbeya |
| Altitude | 1,700 to 1,890 m | 1,200 to 1,900 m |
| Process | Fully washed, dried on raised beds | Fully washed, dried on raised beds |
| Varietal | SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian | Bourbon, Kent |
| Roast | Not declared by the roaster | Medium-light |
| Notes | Orange, lemon, floral | Pear, floral, jasmine, strawberry |
| Best for | When you want the coffee to be the loudest thing in the room | The morning you want to start well |
| Price | $28 for 12 oz | $28 for 12 oz |
What is actually different in the cup?
The process is the same, so the gap comes from origin and varietal. Both are fully washed and dried on raised beds, which is why neither tastes like a natural process coffee. The notes then split. Conjuncture reads as citrus first, with orange and lemon, and a floral edge. Optimism reads as fruit and flowers, with pear and strawberry and jasmine.
The altitude ranges overlap at the top, around 1,900 m. Kenya sits in a narrower band, 1,700 to 1,890 m, while the Tanzanian range is wider, 1,200 to 1,900 m. We do not have more detail than the label gives on how that shows up in the cup, so we will not guess.
Which one is easier to brew?
Optimism is the forgiving one. The roaster suggests pour-over or Aeropress and calls it bright and tea-like. It also says to drink it while it is hot, because it flattens faster than the others as it cools.
Conjuncture asks for a little more care. The roaster suggests pour-over, a touch coarser than usual, at 94 °C (about 201 °F). Kenya is acidic on purpose. If your cup tastes sour rather than bright, grind finer. Our posts on why coffee tastes sour and fixing a sour pour-over walk through that fix. For full recipes, use the No. 4 Conjuncture brewing guide and the No. 9 Optimism brewing guide instead of repeating them here.
Who should buy which?
Pick Conjuncture if you already like bright coffee, drink it black and brew by pour-over. Pick Optimism if you want a gentler, sweeter-leaning cup that is easy to start the day with, or if you usually reach for tea. If you cannot decide, buy one of each. You can read how each one tastes in our No. 4 cup-by-cup notes and No. 9 cup-by-cup notes, and our Tanzania regions post covers what is on the Optimism bag.
Our pick
No. 4 Conjuncture
Othaya, Nyeri County, Kenya · 1,700 to 1,890 m · Fully washed, dried on raised beds · SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian
Orange, lemon and floral, for the cup where the coffee is the loudest thing in the room.
Our pick
No. 9 Optimism
Mbeya, Tanzania · 1,200 to 1,900 m · Fully washed, dried on raised beds · Bourbon, Kent · Medium-light
Pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry, bright and tea-like for a good start to the morning.
Both come whole bean or ground, and a subscription is 11% off with skip or cancel in one click. Browse all ten coffees if you want to compare more origins, or read our FAQ on how we roast and ship.
How should you buy them if you are new to both?
If you have never had a Kenyan or a Tanzanian coffee, start with the one that matches the flavors you already enjoy. Do you like lemonade, grapefruit or black tea with lemon? Conjuncture is the closer match. Do you like berries, pears or a floral herbal tea? Optimism is closer. These are comparisons of taste categories drawn from the label notes, not promises about every cup, and your water, grind and brewer will move things around.
Because each bag is 12 oz, you get roughly 17 mugs from one bag at the 1:16 ratio of 20 g of coffee to 320 g of water. That is enough to learn a coffee properly, try two brewers and adjust the grind before you decide. Our brewing guides list the three methods we use, so you do not need to guess a recipe.
Do I need a grinder for either one?
You can order either coffee ground, but Conjuncture in particular rewards grind changes, since the fix for a sour cup is to go finer. If you brew it by pour-over, whole bean gives you that control. See whole bean vs ground coffee for the longer answer.
Questions people ask
Is Kenyan coffee more acidic than Tanzanian coffee?
Our Kenyan bag, No. 4 Conjuncture, is described by the roaster as acidic on purpose, with orange and lemon notes. No. 9 Optimism is described as bright and tea-like. We have no acidity measurements for either, so we compare by the notes on the label.
What does Tanzanian coffee taste like?
Our Tanzanian coffee, No. 9 Optimism from Mbeya, lists pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry on the label. It is a medium-light roast and fully washed.
Which is better for pour-over, Kenyan or Tanzanian coffee?
Both are suggested for pour-over by the roaster. Conjuncture likes a slightly coarser grind at 94 °C (about 201 °F), and Optimism also works in an Aeropress.
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