Rwanda
Kivu Belt
2017

Washed process Red Bourbon

Flavour: peach, orange blossom, hibiscus

Body: Acidity:

This coffee was processed at a washing station called Murundo which is privately owned by Furaha Umwizeye.

Umwizeye, who was born in Rwanda, completed a Master’s degree in economics in Switzerland, but was motivated to return to Rwanda after the genocide, to contribute in a positive way to the society and economy.

“From the beginning, our goal was to produce a coffee of high quality for the specialty market. To ensure the best quality, one has to have control of the production process. Traditionally in Rwanda, coffee washing stations and coffee farms are not vertically integrated. The ownership is separated. Coffee washing stations rely on multiple small coffee farmers for their supply of cherries [who typically only own 100–300 coffee trees].

"We identified that to ensure the same high quality year after year, one has to be able to control how the coffee trees are being produced and harvested.”

Today, Umwizeye has planted over 80,000 coffee trees across three farms near Lake Kivu: Jarama, Kamajumba (located on an island on Lake Kivu), and Nyaruzina. Together they’re called "Kivu Belt.”

She now resides in New York with her Swiss husband, returning to Rwanda frequently during the harvest. The farms are managed by a team including Chief Agronomist Gaspar Nsengimana, managing director Claudeen Kantengwa, and Murundo washing station manager Vicky Sempotore.

In total the three Kivu Belt project farms have 18 permanent workers and 130 seasonal workers. Umwizeye is constantly rewarded by her coffee farm project and seeing the direct impact that her business has on the region and its people.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

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Our packaging

Producer: Furaha Umwizeye Teuscher
Country: Rwanda
Region: Nyamasheke
Altitude: 1700 - 2100m above sea level
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: washed
Harvested: August 2017
Importer: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
Body: Medium
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Peach, orange blossom, hibiscus
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Red Bourbon variety

The location

Coffee from Rwanda

Since the genocide of 1994, coffee has come to represent a symbol of recovery and regrowth for Rwanda.

The Southern and Western Region region of Rwanda

Centred around 3 main areas; the Huye mountains, the Nyamagabe region, and the Nyamasheke region in close proximity to Lake Kivu

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.