Clifton Coffee - Rwanda: Musasa Mbilima

"This late harvest Rwandan comes from the famed Musasa Dukunde Kawa cooperative which owns 3 washing stations lying high in Rwanda’s rugged north west. The Mbilima washing station (the co-operatives 2nd) was built in 2005 with the profits generated from their first washing station (Ruli) and is one of Rwandas highest washing stations processing cherry for just over 500 of the Co-operatives 2100 active producing members.

After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight (for around 12 hours) and then graded again using flotation channels that sort the coffee by weight (the heaviest –or A1 –usually being the best). The wet parchment is then soaked in water for between 18 and 24 hours to stabilise moisture content. The raised bed drying process typically lasts around 14 days depending on the weather until the moisture content reads 11% when the coffee is then sorted into parchment and delivered to the dry mill in Kigali."