Rwanda Coffee Bean Geographical Environment, Rwanda Coffee Varieties, and Rwanda Coffee Flavor

Rwanda Coffee Growing Environment

Rwanda is located in the heart of inland Africa. Its mountainous terrain, fertile soil, and ancient traditional Bourbon varieties indicate that Rwanda has the natural conditions for growing high-quality coffee beans throughout the country. Coffee was introduced to Rwanda by German missionaries in 1904. Starting from 1930, because coffee was the only crop that rural farmers could earn income from, coffee cultivation began to flourish. Whether it was Arabica harvested between March and June or Robusta harvested between May and June, the government encouraged - actually ordered - the production of low-quality, high-yield coffee. Even though the quality was poor, it still played a crucial role in Rwanda's economic development at that time, as it was one of the few crops that could generate cash income. However, with the subsequent collapse of global coffee prices, the policy of continuing to promote the export of low-quality Arabica coffee needed to be changed.

Rebuilding After Tragedy

The 1994 genocide claimed nearly 500,000 lives and nearly eliminated the knowledge and techniques of coffee cultivation. At the same time, global coffee prices also plummeted, further exacerbating Rwanda's coffee industry crisis. Rwanda's coffee industry is now rising again, hoping to rebuild the necessary infrastructure for specialty coffee production and processing at a steady pace. Most notably, the "Partnership to Enhance Agriculture in Rwanda" (PEARL) project focuses on helping Rwanda rebuild agricultural institutions, production capacity, and cultivate agricultural talent to help local small farms directly sell coffee beans to buyers in the specialty coffee market. Unlike neighboring countries Kenya and Ethiopia, which have centralized auction systems, Rwanda's agricultural cooperatives can trade directly with buyers. However, as a landlocked country, exporting coffee beans requires traveling 1,500 kilometers to Kenya's Mombasa port or Tanzania's Dar es Salaam port. After the 2007 "Crop of Gold" competition, Rwanda held its first Cup of Excellence (COE) competition in 2008, which attracted more buyers' attention to Rwanda's high-quality Bourbon coffee beans.

The Land of a Thousand Hills

Rwanda is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills," situated on the equator and surrounded by East African countries such as Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi. Geographically, it possesses ideal conditions for coffee cultivation, but since its introduction by German missionaries in 1904, Rwanda's coffee has been poorly processed commercial grade, with most of it being exported to the colonial power, Belgium. The promotion of specialty coffee production only began after experiencing the devastation of war and the economy returning to normal.

The 1994 genocide resulted in over one million deaths, mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group. To this day, Rwanda's streets still have orphans who survived that year, memorials can be seen everywhere, and war criminals make up 90% of the prison population! Since 2001, the Rwandan government established the National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB) to focus on improving coffee exports and earning foreign exchange.

With government support, farmers have shifted from crude home processing to delivering freshly harvested fruits to nearby Coffee Washing Stations for full washed processing. In just 12 years, the number of washing stations nationwide has increased from two to 220. All are now privately owned, meaning they belong to exporters or farmer cooperatives. Due to the small average land area (each farm has fewer than 200 coffee trees on average), each station serves approximately 50 to 100 farms. NAEB employs 200 botanists and cuppers who regularly visit washing stations to inspect quality and educate farmers on soil management, organic cultivation, pruning, pest control, and harvesting techniques.

Precise Drying Control

The Bourbon variety accounts for over 90% of Rwanda's production. Among them, a small number of farmers cultivate Bourbon varieties BM-139 and Jackson. The southern and western mountainous regions have more cultivation, and their washing stations are also more famous, such as Gitesi, Huye Mountain, and Mibirizi. Compared to the common practice of drying on concrete patios in Central America, Rwanda places parchment coffee on African beds covered with canvas to control drying speed, gradually reducing the bean's moisture content to the target 11% over 10 to 15 days. Compared to sun-drying, this method helps preserve organic compounds.

Rwanda was the first African country to host a Cup of Excellence competition. This year marks its 5th edition. In terms of flavor, Rwandan coffee has distinct floral and fruity aromas, with a tea-like smooth mouthfeel. It has the highest balance among African countries.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Parameters for Rwandan Coffee:

B60/90°C/1:15/Time: two minutes

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. Online store services are also available. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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