Characteristics of Rwandan Coffee Beans_How to Describe the Flavor of Rwandan Coffee Beans_Price of Rwandan Coffee Beans

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Introduction to Rwanda Coffee

Rwanda is a small mountainous country in the eastern equatorial region of Africa. With an area of 26,000 square kilometers, more than half of its ten million people depend on coffee exports for their livelihood. The 1994 Rwandan genocide shocked the world, and the film "Hotel Rwanda" told that history, making us aware that such a small country exists in Africa.

Recovery and Development

The events of 1994 led to the massacre of nearly one million Tutsi people and completely destroyed the local coffee industry. The new government took nearly 20 years to rebuild it, gradually restoring it to its former state. In recent years, Rwandan coffee has been favored by European and American specialty coffee professionals. With a market share of just 0.2%, it has become a new favorite on the coffee market. Rwanda is also one of only two African countries to join the COE organization (2008-2015), the other being Burundi.

Coffee Varieties and History

Like Kenya, Rwanda's coffee cultivation was introduced by colonizers. In 1904, German missionaries brought Bourbon varieties to Rwanda, and large-scale cultivation subsequently began along the shores of Lake Kivu. Thanks to geographical isolation and government support, 90% of Rwanda's coffee varieties today remain traditional Bourbon. In Kenya, by contrast, Bourbon has been replaced by the newly developed SL28 as the main variety, which makes Kenyan Bourbon genuinely hard to find these days.

Quality Improvement

Rwanda's coffee industry has improved rapidly in recent years, helped by the new government's support. OCIR, the Rwanda Coffee Authority, organized a group of coffee experts who, in just ten years, increased the number of processing factories assisting farmers from two to over two hundred. They guided farmers to move away from small workshop production and toward delivering fresh cherries to processing plants instead. With assistance from foreign coffee organizations, the transformed Rwanda has been represented repeatedly in international coffee competitions. As in Burundi, however, many of its coffees carry an annoying potato flavor, which counts as a defect in green bean evaluation. For this reason the Rwandan government and private organizations have jointly invested in research, and the problem has greatly improved in recent years.

Flavor Profile

Rwandan coffee has a berry tone similar to Kenyan coffee. Without Kenya's overpowering acidity, it still holds on to a rich mouthfeel. Different varieties and processing methods may have shifted the flavor direction, while the high-altitude growing conditions and volcanic soil also guarantee the production of high-quality coffee. Every batch of Rwandan coffee we have sourced has been full-bodied and rich with minimal defects.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but a diverse range of coffee bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, with online shop service as well. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation: African Berry, Made Beginner-Friendly

Rwanda's berry-toned, medium-bodied profile sits comfortably alongside the great East African coffees, and if you would like a classic yardstick to compare it with, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Guodingding cooperative lot from Yirgacheffe is an ideal reference: jasmine florals, lemon acidity and a soft berry note, the archetypal washed Yirgacheffe. For a fruitier counterpoint, the Sun-Dried Huakui from Sidamo uses traditional natural processing to deliver berry, floral, jackfruit, melon and honey. Tasting the two side by side is the quickest way to understand how processing shapes the cup.