This coffee comes from washing station Karambi which is located in the Karambi sector in the Nyamasheke district, Western province and borders Nyungwe Forest National Park. It was built in 2016 and is, to date, the sole station that Rwacof has built from the ground up. The altitude in the region starts at 1,700 meters and extends to up to 2,000 meters above sea level.
The washing station is a four-hour drive west of Kigali. On the top of the hill, like a gateway to Karambi station, is a big school, also named Karambi. The school has a wide range of grades from primary school to high school. Passing through this busy, energetic gateway unnoticed is simply not possible. Hundreds of active and excited children and busy people bustle around this station.
In a reflection of this energy, Karambi station seems to never stop during the nearly four full months of the harvest. The station has up to 120 staff in peak season. Every step of the process is continuously attended to by experienced eyes.
After purchasing cherry from producers, Karambi sends the cherry through a strict sorting process. First, washing station staff remove any lower quality cherry through flotation. Then, a specially trained staff visually inspects the remaining cherry for any visual defects.
After sorting, cherry is pulped on a Pinhalese pulper outfitted with a demucilager that removes up to 80% of the mucilage before fermentation. Parchment is then fermented for 10 hours before being washed in clean water and then laid out to sun dry on raised beds. While drying, the coffee will be regularly sorted to remove imperfections and sifted to ensure even drying.
This lot amazed us on first sip and we are sure that you will love it as well. You can expect a coffee with an explosive fruity taste with notes of fruity bonbon, blackberry and sweetness of caramel. Enjoy it!
