
Rwanda
Nyamasheke
Blueberry, Spiced Lime and nutty undertones
This vibrant coffee boasts bright acidity and a complex blend of blueberry, spiced lime, and black tea notes, with subtle nutty undertones.
Varietal: Mundo Novo, Catuai, IAC, Icatu
All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, underripe or damaged cherry is removed, along with any foreign objects. Cherry is then floated in pre-pulping tanks removing any floaters and later pulped. Next, coffee is fermented in dedicated concrete fermentation tanks for an average of 12 hours. During this time, the fermented parchment is agitated several times through the day by way of ceremonial foot-stomping.
After fermentation, coffee is released into a large serpentine grading channel. This process also separates parchment into different density grades. During the washing process, parchment is continuously agitated to encourage lower density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage off the parchment. Once the parchment is separated into grades, it is given a final post-wash rinse. At this point, coffee is taken to a pre-drying area where the parchment is hand-sorted removing any insect-damaged, discoloured or chipped coffee. The parchment is laid out to dry and turned on a regular basis throughout the day for 30 days.
Information about the coffee region
In Rwanda, we work alongside Muraho Trading Co. This partnership helps affiliate co-operatives increase their quality of production, fetch a higher price for their coffee, and introduce them to new markets. This will be a continuous work in progress in the coming years, as we gain a greater understanding of the particular challenges Rwandan coffee producers face.
Through this process we can develop a model that creates incentives which generate producer buy-in, all the while maximising impact. We supply coffee from across Muraho’s washing stations, which are located in the Nyamasheke, Gakenke, and Nyabihu regions of Rwanda.
Gisheke is located in Nyamasheke District, and overlooks Lake Kivu. Almost half of the cherries received at Gisheke come by boat from Mushungwe Island. All the cherries from the neighbouring islands are delivered by boat to Gisheke, which is only accessible by water.
Gisheke’s geographic location makes it ideal for the processing and drying of naturally processed lots. This is due to the consistent wind flow that moves between two steep hills that lead towards Lake Kivu, Idjwi Island and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.