Long & Short Coffee: Rwanda, 832, Natural

Rwanda is among Africa’s best coffee producing countries blessed with the ideal conditions for growing amazing coffee, and the Rwandan 832 (named after its farm lot) is no exception. Grown high up the hills within the Nyamasheke district the coffee quality is of a superior ilk helped by high altitudes and nutritious volcanic soils from the shores of Lake Kivu.

This particular bean has been processed within the newly developed coffee station of Gitwe. Recently taken over by the Rwandan Trading Co. the station not only specialises in processing high end coffee, but has a goal to innovate, perfect and break the boundaries with its techniques — and they’re off to a good start with this harvest.

Although the station supports 800 coffee farmers it produces only 3 containers of coffee per harvest. This makes for a station verging on exclusive with a sought after and limited supply of coffee, counting ourselves lucky we get to try some.

Naturally processed the 832 goes through a labour intensive process whereby the coffee is water floated to remove defective cherries and dried over the course of 30 days, turned hourly in the day and covered at night to assist the fermentation process.