Tanzania Shilanga
Sweet & Syrupy
Washed
Cherrybook Index
76Strong
Evidence-of-quality score, not a cup score. Preliminary: 3 of 7 signals on file. Methodology
Price position
$2.27/oz$24.00 for 300g
Price position appears once the price model has scored this lot.
Catalog summary
A washed lot from Songwe, Tanzania, indexed 76 on preliminary evidence.
Based on the listing and catalog evidence
Currently out of stock at the roaster. Subscribe to get an email when it returns.
Roasts to order
Your bag is roasted after you order; expect a short delay before it ships, but it arrives as fresh as the roaster can make it.
“Specialty coffee roasted to order & shipped to your door.” source ↗
Cherrybook last checked this listing 21 days ago.
Roaster’s notes
date · brown sugar · blackberry compote
- Fruit
- Sugar and spice
Open the flavor wheel
Mapped from the roaster’s tasting notes to the SCA flavor wheel; Cherrybook’s interpretation of the stated notes, not the roaster’s own categorization.
- Origin
- Songwe, TZ
- Producer
- Shilanga AMCOS cooperative
- Farm / Co-op
- Shilanga AMCOS cooperative
- Process
- Washed
- Altitude
- 1646 m
- Varietals
- Bourbon derivatives
- Harvest
- —
- Weight
- 300g
- Bag price
- $24.00
- Price / oz
- $2.27/oz
- Brew
- filter, espresso
from the roaster’s storeread by Cherrybook from the listing“estimated” below = inferred, not stated
Cherrybook Index (CBI)
Evidence-of-quality score, not a cup score. Methodology
76
Strong
Preliminary
Confidence3 of 7 signals on file
Score is partially shrunk toward a neutral 50; read directionally until more source families land.
How confidence affects the score
Coverage measures signal availability, not cup quality. This coffee has 33% of the signal universe on file. Missing sources are dropped, remaining weights are renormalized, and the result is shrunk toward a neutral 50 baseline by 18% so one thin signal cannot carry the score on its own.
The math on file: renormalized base 81.3 shrunk to 75.8 = 76.
Missing: SCA grade, Coffee Review, On-shop ratings, Cherrybook ratings
- 88/ 55% weightReddit sentimentSentiment across specialty-coffee discussion
- 75/ 30% weightYouTube reviewsSentiment from third-party YouTube reviewer mentions
- 70/ 15% weightRoaster transparencyProducer / farm / lot disclosure depth
Sensory profileestimated
- Acidity
- 4
- Body
- 4
- Sweetness
- 4
- Balance
- 4
- Clean
- 4
Comps & alternatives
Tasting flight
Compare this with three more lots selected from the catalog.
Brew a set side-by-side. The picks vary along axes that pair with this lot; origin, process, roast, or producer; so you learn the difference, not just drink four good cups.
Reference · About the varietal & origin
About Coava Coffee
Community reputation · Reddit
Cult favorite· sentiment 88/100
Six independent Reddit threads give Coava a strongly favorable but not uniform picture. Repeat buyers described consistently excellent, sweet, and memorable coffees, while one brewer had an incredible first cup followed by inconsistent results.
repeat-buyer consistencysweet coffeesbrew variability
Threads cited (6)
- r/Coffee · 30↑ · Learning to make coffee hands on, in person, in Portland? But not to become a barista?
I find Coava to be pretty consistent and they ship right after they roast. I live about 45 minutes from Portland now so shipping is easiest for me. Case Study was always my go to when I lived in the city.
- r/pourover · 18↑ · Please share your 5 favorite roasters, with a comment for each choice
...any order) -Passenger in Lancaster, PA- great coffee almost always, lots of choices. Love they sell small bags. Really nice people/customer service -Coava in Portland, Ore- I always have a medium coffee on hand and Coava never disappoints; their stuff is always fantastic and never roasty/too developed. -Vibrant in P
- r/Coffee · 17↑ · Can we talk about Central American coffee? Its Amazing.
...that was incredible to brew at home. Chocolaty, but with a hint of some florals. My favorite coffee of all time was a Honduran coffee from the Portland roaster Coava. It was brewed with a Clever, and was unforgettably sweet. I tend to enjoy Panamanian coffees as well. The reason for the post is to pose a few questio
- r/Coffee · 13↑ · Caramelly espresso recomdations.
...to coffee after a trip to Brazil. She always talks about how much she enjoys espresso with caramel overtones. Anyone have any reccomendations for beans I can order for Christmas? I am happy to get some in the Seattle area too. I like Coava, in Portland, a lot. I also enjoy espresso from Zietgiest in Seattle. Any ide
- r/espresso · 11↑ · As a Portlander, Stumptown is not the Best we Have to Offer
...eling to them and they’ve lost a lot of clout in the city. If you want to see the best out vibrant coffee scene has to offer, it suggest poking around at smaller roasters. Coava makes excellent coffee and is quite trendy right now. Water Avenue is also held in high esteem but isn’t a personal favorite. I have worked
- r/Coffee · 6↑ · Frustrating inconsistency even with Clever
...r sometimes shake) and let sit for 30 seconds, then drain. Sometimes I get pretty tasty cups. The first cup out of this new bag of Ethiopian from Coava was incredible. The second cup was slightly less. Every cup since then has been mediocre to plain bad. My grind size has been more or less the same, with only small
On YouTube
5 videos · 232k combined views
Outside coverage portrays Coava Coffee as a foundational Portland roaster deeply focused on direct producer relationships, single-origin offerings, and educational outreach regarding supply chain transparency. Reviewers and industry partners frequently highlight their engineering contributions to specialty brewing gear, such as the Coava Kone filter, alongside versatile roast profiles suited for both drip and espresso. While widely respected for their long-term sourcing philosophy, recent media reports also document localized urban challenges affecting their downtown retail footprint.
Strong focus on direct producer relationshipsPioneering design of the metal Coava Kone filterVersatile roast profiles for drip and espressoCommitment to supply chain educationDeep roots in the Portland coffee scene
Coverage from others