What Makes Rwandan Coffee Unique

The coffee farmers we partner with in Rwanda are proud to announce this year's coffee season has begun and is looking more fruitful than ever! A beautiful coffee bean requires the perfect farming conditions.

Fortunately for us, Rwanda's elevation, temperature, soil quality, and humidity combine to create some of the best coffee growing conditions in the world.

 

Our Kivu Lake washing station is located at 5,900 feet above sea level. This high elevation produces a dense, rich bean, becausecoffee cherries grow more slowly — creating a more concentrated flavor — when they're at higher altitudes with less oxygen. 

 

While many parts of Rwanda face difficulty growing coffee due to poor organic material in the soil, the Lake Kivu region is unique. Here, volcanic ash and soil mix to create a fertile combination that's exceptional for coffee farming. 

Rwanda is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" because most of the country is dominated by vast hillsides and tropical forests. The warm temperatures and humidity allow coffee plants scattered across the hillsides to thrive.

One part of the coffee production that's unique to Rwanda is the drying process. This step of production allows coffee to be further sorted, by picking out any under-ripe beans, pulper-nicked coffee, fruit skins, or beans that may have been soured in fermentation. Coffee beans are then set on elevated drying tables where they sit, covered, for 15-20 days. This allows beans to dry at a rate that will not crack under the sun's heat.

All of these elements combine to create a beautiful cup of coffee that, as you sip, takes your taste buds to Rwanda. Try one of our bestselling single origin roasts  — the Nziza Collective Microlot and Kivu Lake  — to see for yourself!