Rwanda Kilimbi Natural
Fruity Profile | Light roast
Tasting Notes: Blood Orange, Raspberry, Milk Chocolate
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
Situated in the Nyamasheke province of Rwanda, the northern border of which is the shores of Lake Kivu, the Kilimbi washing station is small by Rwandan standards, but has an impressive reputation. Managed by agronomist Joseph Ntarindwa, the station has already won a prestigious national competition. Joseph has extensive experience with experimental coffee processing methods, and his station was the first in Rwanda to be given the rights to export natural and honey process coffees. Joseph provides farmers with agricultural support before and after each harvest.
We've loved getting to know Kenny Ntwali, founder of the importing company Higa Coffee - he actually visited our roastery and hosted an event last month. Kenny has been a wealth of knowledge about this coffee in particular, and Burundian & Rwandan coffees in general. For example, we know that the coffee fruit (aka cherries) were delivered by farmers to the Kilimbi washing station the week of June 10th.
The process to go from cherry to parchment (the last natural protective layer around the coffee seed) takes 30 days, and includes drying the coffee. The coffee is kept in its parchment to maximize freshness until just before it's ready to be loaded onto a container to be shipped around the world to roasters (this coffee was ready for export on July 27th). When the parchment is removed, what is left is just the green seeds - that's why coffee roasters refer to unroasted coffee as "green coffee", or "greens"!
Higa Coffee is committed to getting the farmer groups they work with high prices for quality coffees, and also aims for repeat buys: a large reason for volatility in coffee production is that roasters don't always commit to buying the coffee year over year - if the quality happens to dip a bit, they move on. This is counterintuitive to relationship-building and sustainable specialty coffee production. This is the second coffee we've purchased from Higa, and we're looking forward to many more delicious harvests.
TRACEABILITY
PRODUCER
750 smallholder producers
MILL / WASHING STATION
Kilimbi
PROCESSING
Natural
ALTITUDE
1650 - 1850 meters
DID YOU KNOW
As Kenny tells us, "In Rwanda, the farmers that invest in the arduous work of coffee farming are usually far better off than their counterparts who do not. They're able to have cash to cover some basic needs (like high school for their kids, a cold beer vs banana wine, or trips to see a specialist doctor) from this 'cash crop'. Their counterparts do not get these basic needs met because the majority are engaged in subsistence farming, and therefore have no cash. Using this lens, I think the burden of social responsibility rests more on producers [washing station owners] than on farmers in the Rwandan context."
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$4.92
Price paid by Driftaway
$4.31
Free on Board price
$2.06
Farm Gate price
$2.11
Fair Trade price per pound
$1.91
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
This coffee travelled 7,011 miles to the Driftaway Coffee roastery in Queens.
Love the coffee? You can share your compliments & tasting observations with the farmers.
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is bananas delicious - we first tasted it at an event that Kenny hosted at our roastery, where he showcased coffees from both Rwanda and Burundi, and several different processes (including anaerobic, honey, and washed). This natural processed coffee was one of the most impressive on the table and got everyone talking. Beyond the incredible quality of the coffee and its very fitting place in the Fruity profile, one of the reasons we selected this coffee is because of Kenny himself. He is transparent about farmer information, especially pricing, and we really appreciate the kinds of conversations he has about farmer livelihoods and sustainable buying practices - check out his Instagram for some great conversations and insights! @higacoffee
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
87.58
/100
87.58
SCAA Cupping Score
15 x 60 kg
Bags purchased
1 year
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2023)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from April 22 to May 15 in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by James M. and Ian T. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.
