Rwanda Coffee Growing Region Nyamasheke: Cultivation and Flavor Characteristics

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Rwanda Nyamasheke Peaberry

Nyamasheke is a province in western Rwanda near the famous Lake Kivu, renowned worldwide for producing rich, complex, and sweet coffee. In recent years, the green coffee importer Nordic Approach has invested considerable effort in Nyamasheke, conducting many experiments with local coffee farmers, and this batch is the result of those experiments.

Nordic Approach collaborated with local hulling stations to select peaberries for a special batch. Peaberries occur when a cherry develops only one seed instead of two during growth, typically accounting for only 10% or less of the total harvest. Originally, peaberries held no special appeal in Rwanda, as washing stations didn't separate them. However, in some other countries, such as Kenya, peaberries are highly prized. Nordic Approach gathered peaberries from the top coffee farmers in western Nyamasheke to see if they could produce exceptional flavors!

These peaberries were selected based on flavor profiles and processing methods, combining different washing stations in the Nyamasheke region and various harvest times (this batch comes from May to July) to create the peaberry batch. Surprisingly, in blind tastings, Peaberry Batch 28 performed even more outstandingly than individual washing station flavors! Nyamasheke has some exceptional washing stations, such as Mahembe, while Chirinbi is the newest addition.

The coffee farms near Lake Kivu in Nyamasheke are very small, mostly located at altitudes between 1,700-2,000 meters. After being sent to different washing stations, the cherries undergo depulping, dry fermentation, then are sent through water channels for grading, followed by washing and soaking—very similar to the Kenyan washing method.

Rwanda is blessed with ideal coffee growing conditions, including high altitude, stable rainfall, volcanic soil, and organic environments. The coffee variety is the highly productive Bourbon. The vast majority of Rwandan coffee is produced by small farmers—about 500,000 farming households, each owning less than one hectare of land. Although Rwanda has a long history of coffee production, it's only in recent years that quality has significantly improved. Different regions have distinct climates, soils, and growing conditions.

Rwanda is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" and is considered one of Africa's most interesting coffees by many. The finest Rwandan coffees can have the clean, bright flavors of Central and South American coffees, better balance than Kenyan coffees, enticing fruity sweetness, floral notes, and a tea-like finish. For many years, Rwanda was the only African country to host the Cup of Excellence competition.

As summer approaches, this vibrant and refreshing lemon juice flavor will bring a fresh start. This coffee's sweet and elegant taste is delicious no matter which brewing method you use!

FrontStreet Coffee

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