Rwanda Mbilima - Andre Hakizimana (Espresso)

Tastes Like: Orange marmalade, apricot and milk chocolate. Balanced and sweet, with great structure.

Back again for a second year running and on the list in place of Jason, because he can't be here - as he is building an empire in New York.

It is very rare to be able to get a coffee that is traceable back to a single farm in Rwanda, so we feel extremely fortunate to be able to share this special microlot from producers Andre Hakizimana and Anathal Mukagwiza.

Most of the coffees we source from Rwanda are traceable back to a washing station, or sometimes a farmer group. Typically, washing stations in Rwanda receive cherry from hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of farmers who own very small plots of land – on average less than a quarter hectare, with just 300-600 coffee trees. Separation of such tiny lots is expensive and impractical, so the large majority of coffees are processed as a mixed lot from multiple producers. Typically, lots are separated as day lots (ie. cherries that were all picked on the same day) rather than by a single farm or producer group.

Single farm microlots like this one are extremely difficult to access. In this case, it is made possible due to the size of Andre and Anathal’s farm, which totals 1.2 hectare. Andre is also a member of the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative, which operates its own dry mill, allowing them to process smaller lots individually, whilst minimising cost and maintaining excellent quality standards.

DISTRICT: Gakenke District
SECTOR: Coko Sector
WASHING STATION: Mbilima
FARM ELEVATION: 2,150m above sea level
VARIETY: Red Bourbon
PROCESSING: Washed
FARM OWNER: Andre Hakizimana and Anathal Mukagwiza
WASHING STATION OWNERS: Dukunde Kawa Cooperative