Description
100% Bourbon Arabica – First new crop Rwanda arrival!
Kivubelt’s nomenclature refers to “People Farm”, another term for smallholder coffee growers and the households they support. Kivubelt was established in 2011 by Furaha Umwizey, after returning to Rwanda with a master’s degree in economics from Switzerland. Born and raised in Rwanda, Umwizey’s goal with Kivubelt is to create a model coffee plantation, as sustainable in agriculture as it is impactful in local employment and empowerment. The company began with 200 scattered acres of farmland in Gihombo, a community in Rwanda’s coffee-famous Nyamasheke district that runs along the breathtaking central shoreline of Lake Kivu.
Under Umwizey’s leadership, Kivubelt has planted 90,000 coffee trees on their estates, which now employ more than 400 people during harvest months and is a kind of coffee vocational school for local smallholders interested in improving their farming. Kivubelt has also acquired two washing stations, Murundo and Jarama, which combined not only process coffee from the company’s estates, but also that of more than 500 smallholders in the region, offering quality premiums and training programs for participating farming families. Lot 1 from Murundo CWS was picked across March, April, and May by the station’s participating 400 local smallholders.
The Nyamasheke district in Rwanda is gifted in terroir. The cool, humid climates of both Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe Forest National Park keep groundwater abundant throughout the uniquely hilly region. Kivu itself is part of the East African Rift whose consistent drift creates volcanic seepage from the lake’s bottom and enriches the surrounding soils. Coffees from this region are often jammier and heavier than in the rest of the country. Murundo’s coffees in particular are full of complex sugars, currant-like acids, blackberry and spice flavors, and round, soft textures.
Tasting Notes: A tasty super fresh Rwanda offering. Lighter roasts are crisp and clean with hints of citric acidity (low acidity overall) and pretty potent spiced chocolate notes. A little reminiscent of a Kenya or Tanz at the lighter roast points but with mellower acidity. Great depth of flavor, within the lighter tones one gets a bit of sweetness and soft fruit tones and on the darker tone spectrum the spice ranges from a pepper like quality to more delicate dark tea. Medium to dark roasts mute up much of the delicate hints of fruit and spice but provide a very tasty chocolaty cup of coffee with a hint of spice in the aftertaste, a wonderful daily drinker.
Roasting Notes: An easy cup to roast, nice prep on these beans. Medium chaff which should not cause any issues. These beans similar to most Africans will darken up a bit quicker than Central and South American coffees, may look a shade or two darker than it really is. If shooting for the lighter roasts, make sure you get all the way through first crack, most will want to take it a shade or two darker after first crack happens.
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