Rwanda Fair Trade Rushashi Duhingekawa Womens Coop
Rwanda Fair Trade Rushashi Duhingekawa Womens Coop
Farm Description
Abakundakawa is a 1700 member cooperative that mills its coffee at the Rushashi washing station. The average altitude here is 1600 to 1800 meters for coffee production, the varietal is traditional Bourbon seedstock, and the typical wet process method is used, with sun-drying on raised beds or patio. This is Fair Trade certified, part of the USAID project in Rwanda to improve the quality of life ... but it is also a special micro-lot separated from the bulk production of the Abakundakawa coop. This is produced exclusively by a women's group, Duhingekawa, a 70 member sub-group of the coop, and we have paid a premium for this particular lot that is returned directly to the women producers.
This coffee is part of our Farm Gate pricing program.Cupping Notes
I cupped it against various A1 and A2 lots from other nearby washing stations (mills) and found a very distinct, beautiful character in this coffee. The fragrance here has soft floral notes and (a theme throughout the cup) a sweet citrus, along with toasted bread and, at FC roast, milk chocolate. The wet aroma has milk chocolate as well, but a floral scent comes through with traces of orange blossom, especially on the break. The cup fulfills the promise of the aromatics: balanced, rounded chocolate flavors, soft sweetness, clean aftertaste, and a remarkably silky body (although not that heavy). This is still somewhat of a delicate cup, and it really requires the right roast to reveal its best character. It was the City+ roast that really hit the target for me: floral and sweet up front, bracing acidity, great structure, tangy on the back side. The sweetness has a sweet brown malt flavor, caramelly, and lingers through the aftertaste. This is not a "powerhouse cup", but roasted and brewed correctly, it is remarkably attractive.
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Roast Recommendations
City + is ideal, a balance of floral sweetness and pleasing bittersweet aftertaste.Processing
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Grade & Appearance
Packaging
Comments
#1 Wahoo!
We're almost through a Grain Pro bag of this Rwandan, and we loved it! This isn't a fruit-bomb, explode your palette kind of coffee; nor is it an incredibly complex, Geisha-like coffee.
At FC roasts, especially where we took our time ramping up to first and/or drawing out the time between 1C and drop, the acidity vanishes in favor of breadiness and chocolate.
But, Chris/Tom (whichever wrote the description) was spot on: at City+ it had fleeting, delicate floral notes, and a "bracing" (=refreshing) acidity. The finish is caramelly, sweet and fantastically smooth! We cold-brewed this several times at a farmer's market, and that caramelly sweet, smooth finish is about as refreshing in our Jersey spring as a sip of ice cold water. Delicious.