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 FW
NOTES: clean candied cup, jammy orange peel
VARIETY: Bourbon
REGION: Nyamasheke
ALTITUDE: 1600 - 2100 masl
PROCESS: fully washed
STATION MANAGER: Valentin Kimyeni
NO. OF FARMERS: 1650
HARVEST: 2022
2021 - 2022
GASHARU RUGORI
NOTES: tomato consomme, cherry
VARIETY: Red Bourbon
REGION: Nyamasheke
ALTITUDE: 1670 masl
PROCESS: experimental washed
STATION MANAGER: Valentin Kimyeni
NO. OF GROWERS: 1650
HARVEST: 2021
Women’s contributions in coffee have been overlooked, underrepresented, and sorely underpaid throughout history – but more and more cooperatives are providing women with the support and governance they need. And we’re so grateful for that and the incredible coffees being produced by women in Rwanda right now!
This double fermentation Bourbon variety comes from the Rugori project, a name inspired by the urugori crown given to women after their first child – a mark of respect and pride. With farms across the Western Province, the Gasharu is situated at 1670masl; their anaerobic experiments have led them to create this multi-layered coffee with high sweetness, acidity, and an elegant body.
First pulped and fermented for 12 hours in a tank, the beans are then washed and fermented anaerobically for a further 8 hours. In the cups it’s very sweet with notes of tomato consommé and cherry.
2021
MAHEMBE #5
NOTES: blueberry muffin, caramel
VARIETY: Red Bourbon
REGION: Nyamasheke
ALTITUDE: 1900 masl
PROCESS: fully washed
PRODUCER: Justin Musabyiama
HARVEST: 2021
This year it’s Lot #5 that made the cut and we are very happy to receive the new harvest!
Mahembe washing station is owned and run by Justin Musabyiama and located in Nyamasheke.
This lot was harvested in May this year and is a fully washed process made up of the red bourbon variety and is a combination of cherry picked by Justin on his own farm of 8 hectares and local smallholders surrounding him at around 1900masl. The collective work of the staff and producers combined with careful picking, sorting and processing is what makes this coffee so superb. In the cup it’s blueberry muffin with a caramel glaze.
Due to the pandemic situation and the uncertainty it has caused we guaranteed our purchase of coffee late last year alongside other roasters, so that importer Nordic Approach could book in containers with confidence and Mahembe could produce great coffees with the knowledge that they would be sold. This year they have continued improvements on the mill and installed shade beds to experiment with shade drying coffee, as opposed to drying in the direct sunlight.