Filter: Rwanda Nyamasheke Karengera Washed

About this coffee

This coffee comes through our friends at Falcon. We are already at the end of the season regarding Rwandese coffee however we selected one last lot before all the coffee from Ethiopia comes in. This Karengera lot stood out during cupping for its cleanliness. Expect a tea-like coffee, with notes of raspberry , pink lemonade/grapefruit and a sweet brown sugar finish. Enjoy!

This Washed coffee comes from the Western Province of Rwanda, specifically from the Nyamasheke District. The coffee is produced by 1,020 small-holding farmers. The KARENGERA CWS (Coffee Washing Station) is privately owned by C. Dorman Rwanda Ltd. The coffee is grown at an altitude between 1,600 and 1,850 meters above sea level. The yearly rainfall in the region is between 1,200 and 1,300 mm, and the soil is volcanic.

The harvest and processing period for the coffee is from February to June. The coffee is wet-milled using a Mackinon disc pulper. The processing method involves hand-sorting and floating the cherries before they are pulped within 8 hours of being harvested. The parchment then undergoes dry fermentation for 15-18 hours. After fermentation, the remaining mucilage is washed off, followed by a soaking period of 15-20 hours. The coffee is then dried on raised beds using the natural sun-drying method, which takes 12-14 days.

To ensure quality, the coffee undergoes multiple sorting stages. Farmers initially separate defective cherries. At the washing station, cherries are floated in a tank to remove defects and bug-damaged cherries that float to the top. After fermentation, a series of water shoots are used to separate heavier beans from lighter ones. Finally, during the pre-drying stage under the shade, any remaining defects are removed.