My Favorite Coffee Shop: Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge

View from inside the main gate. 

My favorite coffee shop in Moshi is the Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge (KCL). Although I have not patronized every coffee shop in Moshi, I highly doubt any coffee shop will exceed the greatness of KCL*. As mentioned earlier, due to the presence of Kili in the north, coffee is easily grown in the region resulting in plenty of locally produced coffee at an affordable price. In recent years there has been an influx of coffee shops--apparently a few years ago there was only one, while now there are over five.

The best part of KCL is undoubtedly the presence of an upright piano. As a piano player, I rarely get the chance to encounter a piano in developing countries and when I do, they tend to be horribly out of tune with a majority of the keys being sticky (or permanently stuck). This usually leads people to believe that I am terrible at playing the piano. The piano at KCL isn't in perfect tune and there are maybe four keys that are sticky but it is good enough given the context. Although it's located in the main seating area, KCL has ample outdoor seating (usually preferred among patrons) and I tend to go early enough before there is a large crowd. The first time I saw it was during peak hours and there were several groups around the piano. I basically stalked around waiting for people to clear out so I wouldn't disturb them. Now I've got a system where I go early on Sundays before it opens so I can practice, then later play throughout the morning.

The piano. 

The coffee at KCL is excellent, made with an espresso machine that you might see in Europe. The coffee is also very strong. I have stopped drinking coffee during the week so after one cup during the weekend I'm so jacked I can't play anything under 120 beats per minute. They also have a number of affordable snacking foods as well as a full lunch and dinner menu, though it's a bit expensive.

The vibe at KCL is laid back with a large outdoor seating area with umbrellas. It is located just outside the central of Moshi, close enough to be very accessible but not in the middle of the hustle and bustle (not that there is much of that in Moshi anyway). In the morning it is usually full of local Tanzanians having a cup of coffee and around noon it begins to fill up with foreigners and tourists. The design of the place is classic tropics-open-air and though it's clean and well designed, it lacks any pretentiousness.

At this point I've had a few people buy me a cup of coffee for my playing and even made a few friends. I've gotten to know the waiters that work on weekends and they are all very kind. Most of them profess that they would love to learn how to play the piano and one of them even joined me and "freestyled" some Swahili rap over a reggae groove. Who knows, maybe once I get some consistent practice under my belt, I may have a "residency" on Sunday mornings!

View from indoor seating area. 

*EDIT: September 24th, 2014-I have now patronized every coffee shop in Moshi and I stand by my statement!