Rwanda - KCRS
Process: Fully Washed
Altitude: 1800-2500m
Roast: Medium
Strength: 3/5
Characteristics: Notes of peach, orange, apricot and rose.
Washed process in Rwanda typically looks a bit different to that which we understand elsewhere as washed. Fully washed denotes the process of pulping the coffee and allowing a 24 hour dry fermentation period before undergoing more traditional wet fermentation, followed by the typical soaking for 24 hours afterwards, more in line with what you would expect in Kenya.
This yields a syrupy bodied coffee that tends to hold up very well as it ages. It’s not uncommon for a Rwanda to still be tasting great at 18 months or more if stored correctly.
Cooperative Coffee Rusiga Sector (KCRS) is a Women’s co-operative producing excellent quality speciality coffee. An incredibly diverse crop production happens on these smallholder plots, legumes, beans, sweet potatoes and more can be grown in between the coffee trees. This allows income to be spread over the year as well as producing food for their own consumption. Typically, you’ll find very small family plots cultivating an average of 6 crops. This coffee is produced by women farmers who took over ownership and charge of the land.