Gitega Hills, Lot 140 250g
  • Gitega Hills, Lot 140 250g

Rwanda

Gitega Hills, Lot 140

Terroir Best Lot
QUALITY SCORE: 88.25

Cup Notes
Nectarine / Grapefruit / Green Apple / Black Tea

Suggested for espresso and filter


From the Heart of Africa, Rubens selected a Rwanda Red Bourbon coffee grown at high altitudes with a rich profile that stands out for its acidity and the intensity of the flavors of nectarine, grapefruit, green apple and black tea.

when we roast

We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*

Details

Quality Score
88.25
Series
Terroir Best Lot
Producer
Several small farmers
Country
Rwanda
Terroir
Nyamagabe
Altitude
1700 - 1900 masl
Process
Classic washed - Raised beds
Arabica cultivar
Red Bourbon
Picked in
June 2022
Arrived in
January 2023
Shipped in
Jute + GrainPro
Roast profile by
Rubens Gardelli
Roasted on
Customised solid-drum roaster

Suggested brewing recipe

To help you make the best out of your coffee, Rubens has crafted recipes for brewing this particular lot in filter.

There are two recipes: one for conical brewer (think v60) and one for flat-bottom brewer (think Kalita), however you can surely brew our coffees with any other brewing device, such as immersion brewers.

Please remember that these recipes are intended as starting points and may require further adjustments if the equipment you use is not identical to the one in the recipe; the characteristics of water used can also make a big difference in brewing.

Finally, the recipes suited specifically to Rubens’ roasting style, hence we do not guarantee that they will work as a universal reference.

Have fun brewing!

V60 STYLE
Coffee:
17g
Grind:
Comandante 19 clicks (medium)
Water:
250g (40tds) at 92 Celsius
Time:
2:35
Brew strenght:
1,55 tds
FLATBED
Coffee:
17g
Grind:
Comandante 15 clicks (medium)
Water:
250g (40tds) at 92 Celsius
Time:
2:30
Brew strenght:
1,50

THE STORY BEHIND

Gitega Hills is a washing station, located in the Cyanika sector, near a small town Miko. Gitega is the land cell around the station, which covers an area of around six hectares: a cell is a part of a sector, and sectors compose regions or provinces. 

Established by RTC in 2016, Gittega Hills has been managed by Alex ever since.
All station workers come from the local community, and Alex feels that the station plays a valuable positive role, providing the employment to the local residents. Gitega employs 150 people: 11 are permanently employed, and the others are hired seasonally. 90% of the workers are women. 1040 farmers contribute cherry to Gitega’s annual production, and in 2016 they processed 400 tons of cherry. The farms all lie between 0.5 km and 7 km away and are serviced by 33 cherry collection points. On average the contributing farms grow just 400 trees (1 hectare). The station provides farmers with organic EM2 compost which consists of recycled cherry pulp from the station with some animal manure.

THE VARIETY

Bourbon is one of the most culturally and genetically important C. arabica varieties in the world, known for excellent quality in the cup at the highest altitudes. It is one of the two main cultivars from which new cultivars are bred, the other being Typica.
Historical records indicate that Bourbon was taken from the coffee forests of Southwestern Ethiopia to Yemen, where it was cultivated as a crop; recent genetic studies have confirmed this.
Bourbon was first produced in Réunion, which was known as Bourbon island before 1789. It was later taken by the French to mainland Africa and to Latin America. Bourbon grows best at heights between 1,100 and 2,000 meters above the sea level and produces a 20-30% higher yield than Typica. It has a commercially viable level of yield potential and growth habit, but is generally susceptible to disease and pests.


Red Bourbon and Orange Bourbon are types of Bourbon that have been selected from spontaneous mutation.

THE FERMENTATION PROCESS

Farmers collect cherries and bring them to cherry collection points. The cherries are then transported to the washing station and sorted. After the first sorting, the cherries are floated to separate those with low density and as a preparation for pulping.
They are subsequently placed in water-filled concrete tanks in the shade and left to ferment for 18 hours. Pulping takes places using the traditional washed method: the cherries are soaked several times to remove the pulp. In this case, they are first fermented.
After fermentation is complete coffee is thoroughly washed in concrete channels to remove any remaining mucilage. The beans are then laid out to dry until the moisture content is reduced to 10-12%. Drying typically takes 12-15 days. The beans are stored in parchment until ready for export.

MORE INFO

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