Where is Rwanda Coffee from_Rwanda Coffee Flavor Introduction_What Coffee Does Rwanda Have

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Rwanda: The Land of a Thousand Hills and Its Coffee Journey

Rwanda is a landlocked country located in east-central Africa. It borders Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west and northwest, and Uganda to the north. With its mountainous terrain, it is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills."

Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa (even smaller than the little-known Burundi), while also being the most densely populated country in Africa (without exception), and is identified by the United Nations as one of the world's least developed countries.

Rwanda, known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills," possesses high-altitude mountain environments, fertile volcanic soil, and abundant rainfall, creating a climate conducive to coffee tree growth. The coffee varieties grown in Rwanda are mostly Bourbon (one of the original species of Arabica coffee beans). Despite the advantages of these varieties and excellent natural conditions, Rwanda should have produced high-quality coffee, but the quality of coffee produced in Rwanda is not outstanding, holding a low position in the coffee world with few people interested in it. Why is this?

Historical Development of Rwandan Coffee

Tracing back to the origins, coffee was introduced to Rwanda by German missionaries in 1904. The first coffee tree was planted at the Mibirizi monastery in Cyangugu province, thus Mibirizi also became the name of Rwanda's first coffee variety. Afterward, coffee cultivation expanded to the entire Kivu region and subsequently spread throughout Rwanda.

After World War I, the League of Nations' mandatory council revoked Germany's colonial rights over Rwanda and transferred the mandate to Belgium. Consequently, similar to their policy in Burundi, Belgian colonizers designated coffee as a compulsory crop in Rwanda. Due to the strict control of coffee exports by Belgian colonizers and the high taxes imposed on coffee farmers, Rwanda tended to produce high-yield, low-quality, inexpensive coffee. Simultaneously, the lack of infrastructure meant there weren't even single washing stations, making it impossible to produce high-quality coffee products. Therefore, Rwandan coffee's reputation was not high, typically sold to instant coffee companies or low-cost blend coffee companies.

By the 1990s, coffee had become Rwanda's most important export product, but the 1994 Rwandan genocide brought heavy blows to Rwanda's coffee factories. Coupled with the subsequent global coffee price depression, this added to the woes of Rwanda's coffee industry.

Post-War Recovery and Quality Improvement

Post-war Rwanda intensified its development efforts in coffee cultivation and trade. After 1994, more and more people around the world began to pay attention to this unfortunate country, with some providing assistance to build coffee washing stations. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) helped build Rwanda's first washing station in 2004, while also providing training to coffee farmers through coffee cooperatives to improve cultivation and processing techniques. With washing stations (to date, Rwanda has over 300 washing stations), improved cupping and cultivation techniques among farmers, combined with the inherently high quality of Bourbon coffee, specialty coffee can command higher prices, giving farmers a strong incentive to improve coffee quality.

In recent years, the Rwandan government has also taken active measures, establishing coffee production cooperatives in various regions, providing technical guidance and financial support to farmers, and even offering medical insurance, tuition advances, and loans to cooperative members. These arrangements are somewhat similar to domestic rural credit cooperatives, where coffee farmers can also repay loans with coffee cherries. The government hopes to drive domestic economic development to some extent through the coffee industry.

With various improvements and enhancements to Rwandan coffee, its quality has also made a qualitative leap. In the 2008 COE competition held by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), Rwanda's Anomega premium washed Bourbon defeated Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 and Sumatra Mandheling G1 Special Selection to defend its championship. Rwandan coffee has secured a place in the coffee world with its excellent quality, winning more attention.

Flavor Profile and Unique Characteristics

The flavor of Rwandan coffee is described as having "grass-like aroma" with tropical climate characteristics. Beyond the fruity sweetness presented in this coffee, it also allows people to taste refreshing, bright, and fresh sensations. The Bourbon coffee grown in Rwanda is acclaimed for its fruity sweetness, with its rich and full aroma, absolutely no astringency, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste. This coffee has delicious, citrus-like sweet fragrance, with deep chocolate color, and notes of red apples, cherries, cinnamon and honey, with excellent sweetness and balance, and a finish of cinnamon, almonds, and chocolate.

However, some coffee professionals criticize their "Potato Defect" – this is a coffee defect specific to Rwanda and neighboring Burundi.

When coffee cherries are infected by an unknown bacteria that enters the coffee cherry skin, it produces adverse effects. This effect is harmless to human health, but when infected coffee beans are roasted and ground, they release some undesired pungent, irritating odors. The smell resembles that of a peeled potato. This bacteria only affects certain specific coffee beans, so as long as they are picked out from a whole bag of coffee beans before grinding, they won't affect other coffee beans. Eradicating this bacteria is very tricky – after the green bean processing is completed, infected coffee beans cannot be distinguished, making it difficult for coffee roasters to sort them out before roasting. Even after roasting is completed, these beans are difficult to discover until they are ground into powder and the defective odor appears, only then being noticed. The only possibility is to sort out the infected coffee cherries before processing, as the surface of infected coffee cherries clearly shows damage.

Rwanda's Coffee Growing Regions

Coffee is cultivated throughout Rwanda, with several major growing regions each having different flavor profiles.

Many of Rwanda's excellent coffees come from the southern and western regions. The Huye mountain area and Nyamagabe region in the south, due to higher altitudes, produce coffee with floral and citrus flavors; while the Nyamasheke region on the shores of Lake Kivu in the west produces high-quality coffee with rich, aromatic, and juicy characteristics.

The eastern growing region does not have as high altitudes as other areas, but high-quality coffee is also grown in the Ngoma lake area and Nyagatare region (in the northeasternmost area). Coffee from here has distinct chocolate and fruity flavors.

Coffee produced in the northern growing region has excellent balance, with citrus, nut flavors, and prominent caramel notes. The Musasa cooperative in the Rushashi region here gained fame for its excellent performance in previous cupping competitions, making it one of the most well-known cooperatives in this region.

International Recognition and Future Prospects

In recent years, Rwandan coffee has gained increasing recognition in the international market. In 2010, Rwanda also became the first African country to host the Cup of Excellence (COE). Rwanda plans to reach 3,000 tons of coffee exports this year, further increasing coffee production to meet growing market demand. Starbucks, the world's largest coffee beverage retail company, has also partnered with the Rwandan government to import Rwandan coffee.

It is hoped that Rwandan coffee can better emerge from this disaster-stricken land, just like on Rwanda's coffee trademark, where a coffee-colored dove flies up from a coffee cup, set against the words "A Cup of Hope." Indeed, coffee carries the hopes of the Rwandan people. They hope to increase coffee exports to drive national economic development, and also hope that the two formerly hostile ethnic groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, can eliminate enmity through jointly cultivating coffee and work together to build a beautiful tomorrow.

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