RWANDA ​GISHEKE LOT 1

General Information

Origin: Rwanda
Region: Western Province
District: Nyamasheke
Washing Station: Gisheke
Farmers Members: 628 active members
Cultivar: 100% Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1650 - 1850 masl
Process: Fully washed with double fermentation and sun dried on African beds
Harvest: April - June 2020
Grade: FW15+
Moisture | Density: 9,97 | 0,697 g/ml
Packaging: 60 Kg w/ GrainPro
Score: 85+
Notes: Orange, dark chocolate, floral, cloves
Ikawa profile: 
Preparation: Espresso and Filter

TRACEABILITY

Gisheke coffee washing station (CWS) is the hidden gem of Rwanda. When Gisheke was purchased in September 2017, it was very run down and in a bad state. Between February and April 2018, it went through a major makeover in order to become what it is today - a truly stunning and idyllic station for processing top specialty coffees.

What makes Gisheke so special is that it is literally located in between two steep hills that point directly towards Lake Kivu, the beautiful Idjwi Island and also our neighbours to the west, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Idjwi Island is the second largest inland island in Africa. This setting makes the wind flow through the station the most ideal for processing and drying top quality natural processed coffees.

The only way to get to Gisheke is to hop on a local boat and glide through Lake Kivu. That’s right boat! The boat ride to the CWS is just simply mesmerising and unbelievably relaxing. Idjwi Island and DRC aside you pass through Mushungwe Island and its two little sister islands. All the coffee’s that are produced in these Islands are delivered by boat and processed in Gisheke. Around 40% of the coffees processed at Gisheke comes from Mushungwe Island.
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Lastly it is also very common to see the famous Lake Kivu cows greeting you in your boat as they swim passed to get their next meal in the surrounding islands. You heard right, we said swimming cows! 

HISTORY & COFFEE IN RWANDA

​When we talk about Rwanda is impossible not to mention the horrible genocide that happened exactly 22 years ago (1994) and left nearly 1 million dead.

Despite its sinister past, today is admirable to see how this small nation has risen from the deepest and darkest background, to become one of the most prosperous and safe countries in all Africa.

Currently, the Rwandan coffee industry is at its peak and producing exceptional coffees. The road clearly has not been easy, but through the leadership of a serious government, educational projects and strategic planning, they have laid the foundations for this success.
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Today, some 420,000 people are directly or indirectly related to the coffee industry. High quality coffee prices are more stable than commercial prices, which has improved living conditions of many farmers and their families. In addition, coffee also contributes to the reconciliation of the two main ethnic groups: Hutus and Tutsis; as we have seen them working together to produce more and better coffee.

CULTIVATION

This lot was processed using the fully washed method with double fermentation. The cherries are delivered the same day of the harvest at the washing station. The means used for delivery may be walking with a bag of cherries in the head, by bicycle or by small trucks that are organized by the cooperative in a central collection point.

Once delivered to the washing station, the cherries are visually checked and selected again to ensure that only mature cherries are processed. Then they will go through the mechanical pulper, usually in the afternoon, the pulper will separate the heavier beans (the floaters are removed) into three categories. After pulping, coffee is dry-fermented for 12 hours. Then, parchment is washed and selected by gravity using flotation channels (the heavier beans that sink are usually the best). Later, coffee will go into soaking, which is a wet-fermentation in a tub with clean water for another 24 hours. Finally, the coffee will pass to african beds, where usually women, will select again by hand when the parchment is still wet, this way defects are easier to detect.

Once the process of washing with double fermentation and wet selection by hand is completed, the beans are moved to the raised African beds and sun-dried for about two weeks. During this period the parchment is constantly moved several times a day to ensure an even drying.

Finally, when the coffee reach between 11% moisture content, will be stored in parchment, separated and label carefully by lots, producer and harvest dates. When ready for export, will be transported to Kigali for milling, packing and loading.

HAND SORTING THE POTATO DEFECT

GISHEKE cws LOCATION

WHERE WE ARE
Barcelona, Spain
Santiago, Chile
​Budapest, Hungary
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 CONTACT
Email: green@coffeekilimanjaro.com
​WhatsApp: +34 675 608 692