Rulindo             1700-1850 mt

Region/Terroir       Elevation   

 

 Fermentation        Cultivar    

 

   Picked in            Landed in

 

Rwanda is blessed with ideal coffee growing conditions that include high altitude, regular rainfall, volcanic soils with good organic structure and an abundance of Bourbon. The vast majority of Rwandan coffee is produced by smallholders of which there are thought to be around half a million with parcels of land often not much larger than just one hectare per family. Coffee is grown in most parts of the country, with particularly large concentrations along Lake Kivu and in the southern province.

This lot, however, comes from the Rulindo District in the north of the country which is also home to Rwanda’s highest mountain, Kabuye. This region is the most mountainous in Rwanda, resulting in some incredible micro climates with excellent levels of rainfall and good groundwater reserves. These factors mean the Bushoki washing station is able to process its coffee using the Kenya 72 hour washed process whereby the cherries are pulped and fermented before being washed clean in channels and then soaked for 48 hours before being dried on raised beds. This extra step of soaking the coffee is thought to contribute towards incredible complexity in the cup with refined levels of acidity that complement the coffee beautifully.

The Bushoki station was initially built in 2006 by the Iyongera Musaruro Co-operative who continued this way until 2013 when they felt they were not being managed well and came into financial trouble. At this point they decided to begin working with RTC in 2014 to help them with their financial management and production oversight to improve all aspects of the station. The co-op has approximately 500 members and receives cherry from 800 farmers in total form the surrounding area.