What are the Flavor Characteristics of Rwanda FLO Fair Trade | COOPAC Cooperative Grade A?

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Rwanda FLO Fair Trade | What is the flavor profile of COOPAC Cooperative Grade A?

Rwandan coffee is almost entirely produced by small farmers, with an estimated more than 500,000 small coffee farms across the country, where the average area of most farms is less than one hectare. Additionally, transportation difficulties have created significant disadvantages for the country's coffee exports: since Rwanda is located on the inland highlands of Africa without a coastline, coffee must first pass through Uganda and then to the port of Mombasa in Kenya for export to other countries. Long-distance land transportation makes quality control extremely challenging. The COOPAC cooperative is located on the shores of Lake Kivu in the Rubavu region of western Rwanda, at an altitude of 1,450-1,900 meters. Lake Kivu is one of Africa's highest lakes and one of the few lakes in the world that can experience volcanic eruptions. The fertile soil rich in volcanic minerals provides important nutritional soil for coffee cultivation, offering high-quality washed Rwanda green beans that have consistently achieved excellent results in COE and EAFCA competitions.

Coffee Origin Information

Region: Gisenyi

Altitude: 1,500 - 1,900 meters

Soil: Volcanic soil

Variety: Bourbon

Processing Method: Washed

Certification: Fair Trade (FLO Fair Trade)

Awards: 2010 EAFCA 1st Place; 2010 COE 1st and 9th Place; 2008 COE 8th, 12th, and 24th Place

Rwanda is located on the East African highlands, with high altitude and moderate climate that are actually quite suitable for coffee cultivation. In 1904, German missionaries first introduced coffee to this area. Since coffee was the only agricultural product that farmers could directly exchange for money at that time, coupled with vigorous promotion by the Rwandan government, the entire country began large-scale coffee cultivation.

Rwanda was originally a German colony from the late 18th to early 19th century, and after World War I, it was ruled by Belgium until gaining independence in the 1960s. However, the post-independence government was controlled by a minority ethnic group accounting for less than 20% of the population, and inter-ethnic discontent began to accumulate. Although the coffee industry had been promoted since the German colonial period, and by the early 1990s, annual coffee exports had reached 45,000 tons, unfortunately, from April to July 1994, large-scale ethnic genocide broke out due to long-standing ethnic issues. In less than a hundred days, one million people died in war or were systematically slaughtered. The unstable political situation caused export operations to almost completely halt. Coupled with low international green bean prices at the time, most farmers could no longer sustain their livelihoods by growing coffee and instead switched to other food crops for basic survival. This dealt an almost devastating blow to Rwanda's coffee industry. It wasn't until recent years when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) began assisting local farmers in growing specialty coffee, building washing stations, establishing cooperatives, providing relevant education and training, and cultivating professional cupping talent that coffee production gradually recovered. Today, approximately 25,000 tons of green beans are available for export annually.

The COOPAC cooperative was established in April 2001. Starting with 110 founding members, it has grown to 2,200 members after 10 years of development and expanded to include three washing stations, which can be considered quite successful! The cooperative is located in the Gisenyi production region of western Rwanda, closest to the Congo border. Several washing stations are built along the high-altitude Lake Kivu at 1,450 meters, while hundreds of small farms are scattered on the plateau at 1,500-1,900 meters on the eastern side of the lake. This region is situated in a volcanic zone where the cool high altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and the humid, moderate climate regulated by the lake provide an excellent growing environment for coffee trees. At the same time, Lake Kivu also provides clean water sources for the washing stations. Such excellent natural conditions are actually quite rare across the entire African continent!

For the COOPAC cooperative, rather than being just a coffee bean production center, it is more of a practical center for important local cultural/economic development and environmental sustainability: it is committed to protecting water sources (such as not directly discharging wastewater and fruit skins from processing coffee cherries into the lake, but instead using them for irrigation and fertilization), protecting hillside soil and biological resources (for example, encouraging farmers to plant shade trees extensively in coffee gardens), guiding farmers to improve cultivation techniques, using cooperative surpluses to build bridges/pave roads/construct schools. No wonder the cooperative has developed rapidly, and the quality of coffee beans has not declined but improved year by year! In recent COE and EAFCA competitions, the COOPAC cooperative has not only been a regular participant but its rankings have also risen annually: rich toast aroma mixed with fruits like citrus and dried fruits similar to longan and figs, full acidity and solid mouthfeel, rich and lingering floral notes with a smoky and preserved fruit sweet aftertaste that rolls in the mouth. Such extraordinary performance is worthy of being Rwanda's most outstanding coffee producer!

Flavor Profile

Flavor: Aroma of green apple, chocolate, caramel, and dried fruits, with quite a rich oily sensation. The aftertaste is long-lasting after entering the mouth, with a thick texture.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First infusion with 25g water, let bloom for 25 seconds. Second infusion to 120g water, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour. Slowly pour water until reaching 225g total. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly define the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and faster drainage speed, stopping pouring can help extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473