Coffee culture

How Coffee is Consumed in Rwanda and What Are Rwanda Coffee Bean Varieties

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange for more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style ) Rwanda is a small mountainous country located in the eastern equatorial region of Africa with an area of 26,000 square kilometers. More than half of the population of ten million people relies on coffee exports as their economic source. The 1994 ethnic massacre in Rwanda shocked the world, and the movie Hotel Rwanda tells this history, also
Rwanda coffee beans and brewing equipment

Rwanda: The Rising Star of African Coffee

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Rwanda is a small mountainous country located in the equatorial region of East Africa, covering an area of 26,000 square kilometers. With a population of ten million, over half of the country's economy depends on coffee exports. The 1994 Rwandan genocide shocked the world, and the film "Hotel Rwanda" tells this history, helping us learn about this small African country.

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

Like Kenya, Rwanda's coffee cultivation was introduced by colonial powers. In 1904, German missionaries introduced Bourbon varieties to Rwanda, followed by large-scale cultivation along the shores of Lake Kivu. Due to geographical isolation and government support, currently 90% of Rwandan coffee varieties remain traditional Bourbon. In Kenya, Bourbon has been replaced by the newly developed SL28 as the main variety, making it truly difficult to find Kenyan Bourbon coffee today.

Rwandan coffee has advanced rapidly in recent years, benefiting from the support of the new government. OCIR (Rwanda Coffee Board) organized a group of coffee experts, and in just ten years, increased the number of coffee processing plants assisting farmers from two to over two hundred. They guided farmers to change from small workshop production to sending fresh cherries to processing plants for processing. With the assistance of foreign coffee organizations, the transformed Rwanda has repeatedly been used in international coffee competitions. However, like Burundi, many produced coffees often have an annoying potato flavor, which is considered a defect in green bean evaluation. For this reason, the Rwandan government and civil organizations have jointly invested in research, and this has greatly improved in recent years.

Flavor Profile

Rwandan coffee has similar berry notes to Kenyan coffee, without the assertive acidity of Kenya, yet without compromising its rich mouthfeel. Perhaps the different varieties and processing methods have changed the flavor direction, while the high-altitude growing conditions and volcanic soil guarantee the production of high-quality coffee. Every batch of Rwandan coffee we have purchased has been full-bodied and rich with minimal defects.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online shop services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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