The land of a thousand hills offers Arabica quality coffee.
In 1903 German missionaries were supposed to have brought Bourbon Mayaguez (Red Bourbon) to Rwanda. The highest elevation is the 4,507 m high Karisimbi, which belongs to the Virunga volcanoes. Mountain gorillas still live in the wild. The best cultivation areas for Rwandan specialty coffee are to be found in the west province, at 1,500 m to 2,200 m altitude. The nutrient-rich grounds and the semi-humid tropical climate are ideal for good Arabica quality coffee and is even better than before the civil war. This is due to the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) activities initiated in 2001 . They built washing facilities, which allowed a wet processing of Rwanda coffee- Since 2000, PEARL has also been training young Rwandan students in agricultural sciences, cupping and quality management.
The aroma of Rwanda coffee is often described as grassy , just like the hilly landscape of Rwanda. The Rwanda coffee is soft and mild in taste , but with a strong body . Thus, Rwanda was the 1st African country to bring the famous “Cup of Excellence ” into the country. 99 % of the crop is directly exported, which corresponds to 0.2 % of the world market.
On an Open fire between stones raw coffee beans are roasted in a clay pot. to get an even roast result, the beans are gently moved all the time with the help of a wooden split.
When the beans are dark brown, the beans are cooled by throwing them into the air in a big flat bowl of natural leaves and then catching them again.
Afterwards the beans are ground in a large wooden mortar for about 3 min.
Then the coffee is prepared in a French Press.
