Rwanda

Travelling around Rwanda you get a sense of how close this country has become.

This proud nation is defined by a sense of community spirit and improvement. The countryside is punctuated by images of people collecting water from roadside wells and bicycle taxis ferrying people about.  In conversation, a quietly confident, underlying sense of purpose as well as a can-do attitude is immediately apparent.

Cupping 60 of the country’s top lots really is a pleasure.  The coffee in Rwanda is traditionally sourced in small lots from each washing station. One lot will probably have hundreds of farmers contributing small amounts of cherry.

I travel between two provinces, one in the east and one north, which both produce great coffee.  It quickly becomes apparent by the thousands of people attending the Cup of Excellence awards that coffee is Rwanda.   After a week’s work the international jury decides on the top ten, and there is very little between the lots in terms of scoring.  That only tenths of a point separate the positions demonstrates the consistently amazing quality of coffee from Rwanda.

Rwandan coffee is typically bourbon varietal and generally exhibits great apricot sweetness with intense acidity and fine balance, although coffees do vary between regions and washing stations.  Espresso coffee produced from quality Rwandan beans results in an intensely complex cup and those single origin espresso doubters should research Rwanda to really be sure their argument is sound!

Seven Seeds are proud to have used Rwandan coffee since our beginnings, and look forward to sourcing this fantastic coffee for a long time to come.