Rwanda has a relatively modern relationship to growing coffee in comparison to other origins, with coffee plants arriving in 1904. Now as one of the top 30 coffee producers in the world, with almost 500,000 micro farms that export millions of pounds of coffee a year. High elevations deliver some delicious yields with varied profiles, blueberry muffin notes, kiwi, rosehip, are all among the flavours we've gotten from past crops.
2023
GASHARU IMPANO
NOTES: sweet pastries, stone fruits, slight funk
VARIETY: Bourbon
REGION: Nyamasheke
ALTITUDE: 1600 - 2100 masl
PROCESS: anaerobic
STATION MANAGER: Valentin Kimyeni
NO. OF FARMERS: 1650
HARVEST: 2022
2021 - 2022
GASHARU INTEGO
NOTES: dragon fruit, kiwi, rosehip
VARIETY: Red Bourbon
REGION: Nyamasheke
ALTITUDE: 1800 - 2110 masl
PROCESS: experimental natural
STATION MANAGER: Valentin Kimyeni
NO. OF GROWERS: 1650
HARVEST: 2021
New crop from Gasharu has arrived and this year we have a few different experimental lots for you! To start us off, we have Intego - which means resolution and is named after the trial and error process it took to get to this flavour profile! This lot is made up of the Bourbon variety grown at between 1800 and 2110 masl and the process is basically a 60 hour anaerobic fermentation in a tank followed by about 30 days of drying on raised beds. Thorough sorting of cherry is also an important precursor to processing this coffee. The younger farmers are now responsible for carrying out these experimental processes, while the older generation of farmers - mainly women - do the sorting, which provides them with extra income.
What to expect in the cup? It’s a bright kiwi fruit acidity coupled with very sweet dragon fruit and a little rose hip tea.
The Gasharu washing station is located near the Rwanda Congo Nile Mountain Chain and is one of the two washing stations from Gasharu Coffee. They work with 1650 smallholders from the area, growing Bourbon on farms at altitudes that range from 1580 to 2100 masl. This is the second year that we have coffee from Gasharu and we are constantly surprised by the quality and complexity of flavours they produce.
Valentin Kimenyi manges Gasharu today after taking over the farm, which began in 1976 when Valentins’ father - Celestin Rumenerangabo planted his first coffee trees at the age of 17. Over the years he built Gasharu into what it is today, setting a great foundation for Valentin to build on.