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Rwanda Coffee Introduction: A Beginner's Guide to Rwandan Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Rwandan Coffee: As one of the country's most valuable crops, coffee is one of the focal points of agricultural reconstruction plans. The impact of investments in infrastructure and coffee producer training remains evident today. Dan Klay (right), MSU sustainable

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Rwandan Coffee

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style)

As one of the country's most valuable crops, coffee is one of the focal points of the agricultural reconstruction plan. The impact of investments in infrastructure and coffee producer training continues to be felt today.

Dan Craig (right), director of MSU's Global Program for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, and Angelo Occhipinti (center), CEO and chief roaster of Paramount Coffee Company in Lansing, Michigan, examine dried coffee beans at the coffee processing station.

Despite this, Rwanda still faces many challenges: for example, approximately 40% of the population lives in poverty. However, as of 2016, coffee was Rwanda's fourth-largest export product, with annual exports valued at $59.4 million. The development of the coffee industry can continue to help the country's economic recovery.

Rwanda's National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) states that its coffee strategy is to "position Rwanda as a specialty coffee producing country" and "enable the coffee industry to better contribute to national development and prosperity." It notes that price increases are a sign of its success and focuses on improving production and processing measures.

The reason most people love Rwandan coffee is its syrupy, rich taste. This sweet, intense characteristic is partly attributed to the coffee varieties: most Rwandan coffee beans are either Bourbon or Bourbon branches.

However, in Rwanda, you'll find a variety of coffee flavors: cherry, grape, lemon, chocolate, melon, orange, nectarine, candy, apricot, plum, and so on. In addition to clean, refreshing, citrus acidity, dates are also one of the specialty flavors of Rwandan coffee.

These fruity characteristics come from the country's excellent growing conditions. In Rwanda, there are approximately 400,000 smallholder producers (NAEB), with most farms situated at altitudes between 1,700-2,000 meters. High altitude increases the complexity of coffee flavors.

Knowledge point: Rwandan coffee is processed by independent farmers themselves, resulting in inconsistent quality, and then mixed with coffee processed by neighboring farms.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research center, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share unreservedly only to help more friends fall in love with coffee, and we hold three low-discount coffee activities every month. This is because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price, which has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!