Rwanda is characterized by ideal coffee growing conditions: high altitudes, regular rainfall, volcanic soils with good organic structure, and Bourbon abundance. Bourbon varietal spread around the world mainly in the middle of 1800, when it was brought from the island of Reunion to Brazil. The Brazilian government arranged the seeds transfer, as Bourbon was discovered to yield abundant harvests and to have higher cup quality than Typica.

The great majority of Rwandan coffee is grown by smallholders, usually just one hectare per family, mainly along Lake Kivu and the southern province. Rwandan smallholders are organized in cooperatives to share the services of centralized wet-mills – or washing stations as they are known locally. Gatare is one the most known washing stations in the country. Dating back to 2003, it has developed an excellent reputation over time to process very high-quality coffee. Gatare has
competed in the Cup Of Excellence competition many times, and always ended among the winning lots. Positioned in the Nyamasheke district of the Western province, the station is enclosed by slopes covered by coffee trees.

This microlot has been prepared via a traditional, back-to-basics, natural process: the mucilage and the skin remain on the bean until dried. To this end, the cherries are laid out under the sun until they turn from red to dark brown. At that point, the thick, dried outer layer is hulled in one step to reveal the green bean. Although cheaper and very suitable to arid regions as it does not require water, this preparation still demands specific climatic conditions to ensure a timely and proper fermentation.

Nicely picked, selected, and processed natural coffees can bring out incredible cupping notes and offer unique, sweet fruity flavours.

In the cup: notes of orange, along with blackberry, candied lemon and caramel. A very full jammy mouthfeel.

Minimum resting period: 10 days from roast date for espresso roast, 5 days for filter roast.