No. 9 Optimism tastes like pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry, that is what is printed on the label for this fully washed Tanzanian coffee, grown from Bourbon and Kent varietals between 1,200 and 1,900 meters in Mbeya. It is a bright, tea-like cup rather than a heavy or chocolatey one, and it comes through most clearly in a method that uses a paper filter.
Where this flavor comes from
The process is fully washed and dried on raised beds, which strips away more of the fruit sugars during processing than a natural process does, generally producing a cleaner, brighter cup rather than a heavier, fruitier one. Combined with the Bourbon and Kent varietals and the altitude in Mbeya, that washed process is a reasonable explanation for why the label reads pear and jasmine rather than something darker or heavier. We are not guessing beyond what is on the bag here, just connecting the process to the notes it lists.
Pour-over
A pour-over at 60 g per liter, water at 200 F (93 C), shows the floral and fruit notes most clearly of the three methods, since the paper filter removes more oils than a French press or a moka pot. This is the method to reach for if jasmine and strawberry are the reason you are buying this coffee in the first place.
AeroPress
AeroPress gets close to the same bright, tea-like result as a pour-over, in less time and with a shorter learning curve. It uses a paper filter too, so the cup stays light, though a slightly shorter contact time can mean a touch less clarity in the floral notes compared to a slow pour-over.
French press
A French press adds body that a paper filter would otherwise remove, which rounds off some of the brightness and lets more of the fruit come through as flavor rather than aroma. It is a heavier, less floral cup than the other two methods, worth trying if you want to know how this coffee behaves outside of a filtered brew.
| Method | Ratio | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Pour-over | 60 g per liter | Brightest, most floral and tea-like |
| AeroPress | 60 g per liter | Similar brightness, faster and more forgiving |
| French press | 60 g per liter | Heavier body, less floral clarity |
What it is not
This is not a chocolate-forward or heavy-bodied coffee, and it is not the one to reach for if you want a cup that takes milk the way a Colombian or Brazilian coffee does. It also flattens faster than a heavier coffee once it cools, so it is best drunk while it is hot rather than left sitting.
How the grind changes the cup
A medium-fine grind is the starting point for either a pour-over or an AeroPress, closer to the texture of table salt than sand. Too coarse and the water moves through before it pulls out the jasmine and strawberry notes, leaving a thin, watery cup. Too fine and the brew slows down enough to pull out bitterness along with the sweetness, which flattens the same brightness a lighter grind would have kept. For a French press, a medium-coarse grind is the better starting point, since the metal filter lets more fine particles through than a paper one does.
Serving it hot versus letting it cool
Because this coffee leans bright and tea-like rather than heavy, it changes more as it cools than a chocolatey, heavier coffee would. The floral and fruit notes are clearest in the first few minutes off the brewer, and the cup reads flatter and less distinct once it drops much below drinking temperature. If you tend to let a cup sit while doing something else before drinking it, a heavier coffee like No. 6 Hegemony holds its character longer, which is worth knowing if that describes your morning more than sitting down with a hot cup right away.
How it compares to a heavier washed coffee
Set next to a washed coffee from a different origin, the difference shows up mostly in weight and acidity rather than in how clean the cup is. A washed Colombian or Guatemalan coffee still comes through clear, but leans toward cocoa or dark chocolate rather than jasmine or strawberry, and usually carries more body. Optimism sits at the lighter, brighter end of what a fully washed process can produce, which is worth knowing if you have tried one of our other washed coffees and are deciding whether this one will taste similar.
Our pick
No. 9 Optimism
Mbeya, Tanzania · 1,200 to 1,900 m · Fully washed, dried on raised beds · Bourbon, Kent · Medium-light roast
Pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry, the coffee to reach for on a morning you want something bright rather than heavy.
For the exact pour-over recipe, see how to brew Tanzanian coffee in a pour-over, or the fuller No. 9 Optimism brewing guide for all three methods side by side. See how it stacks up against another origin in Tanzanian vs Peruvian coffee, or browse the full lineup of all ten.
Brew it hot, drink it hot, and it tastes like the label says it should.
Questions people ask
What does No. 9 Optimism taste like?
Pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry, on the label of a fully washed Tanzanian coffee grown from Bourbon and Kent varietals. It reads as bright and tea-like rather than heavy or chocolatey, closer to what a washed African coffee usually offers than a South American one.
Is No. 9 Optimism a good coffee for someone who does not like bitter coffee?
Based on the label notes, yes. Pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry point to a brighter, sweeter cup rather than a bitter one, and a fully washed process tends to produce a cleaner cup than a natural or wet-hulled one. Brewing it correctly, without over-extracting, matters as much as the coffee itself for keeping it from turning bitter.
Does No. 9 Optimism taste the same in every brew method?
No. A pour-over or AeroPress shows the floral and fruit notes most clearly, since both use a paper filter that keeps the cup light. A French press adds body that can round off some of that brightness, so which one tastes better is really a matter of what you are looking for in the cup.
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