Tiny Gulf of Guinea island producer, mostly robusta with some arabica and liberica, yielding only a few tonnes a year.
Sao Tome and Principe grows coffee in tiny volumes, roughly 8 tonnes in 2021, mostly robusta with some arabica and liberica. Coffee arrived as a cash crop in 1802. Arabica seedlings from Brazil initially failed while robusta thrived. Plantations lie at roughly sea level to 1,500 m, Monte Cafe is the main area, and liberica is grown mainly on Principe. Cups are described as balanced, soft and fragrant.
History
Coffee was introduced to Sao Tome as a cash crop in 1802. Arabica seedlings from Brazil initially failed, while robusta thrived. Output is now tiny (about 8 tonnes in 2021), with the Monte Cafe area the main source.
Field notes
- i
Robusta was probably introduced from Angola and Uganda by enslaved workers brought to the islands.
- ii
The Nova Moka plantation, at about 1,500 m in the southwest, grows arabica, robusta and liberica alongside cacao and is credited with reviving the islands' coffee.
- iii
Liberica is grown mainly on Príncipe.
- iv
A Slow Food Presidium backs about 150 robusta growers in São Nicolau and the Cantagalo district, where a coffee-washing centre was built at Caridade in 2015.
Where it growsEquatorial island nation.
In the cup, according to guides
- BalanceMoreIsland coffee is described as balanced, soft and slightly fragrant.
- AcidityLessMild acidity is reported.
Varietals grown here
Sources · 3 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Sao Tome and Principe Coffee: Production in tropical weather · Omwani
- Sao Tome and Principe Robusta Coffee - Slow Food Presidium · Slow Food Foundation
- Coffee of the Day: Tiny And Exotic Sao Tome e Principe · Spilling the Beans