Tasting Notes:
Mango
Cacao Nib
Pomegranate
Region
Bikunda Island, Lake Kivu
Washing Station
Ngoma Station
Processing:
Natural
Variety:
Red Bourbon
Altitude:
1500-1860m

Description
Perched at an altitude of 1500 metres, Lake Kivu is a serpentine volcanic lake straddling the border of Rwanda and the DRC. Its shoreline is a twisting knot of bays and coves, all peppered with islands. Bikunda Island is home to the seven coffee producers who grew the coffee you are drinking this month.

These farmers all grow Red Bourbon trees on 1–2-hectare farms on the island and then transport their cherries by boat to the Ngoma Coffee Washing Station (CWS). Ngoma is owned and operated by Emmanuel Rusatira of Baho Coffee, the same exporter who is behind our coffee from the Ikizere Women’s Group. Emmanuel founded Baho after 20 years of managing washing stations for a large export company. Exporting coffee on his own has provided an avenue for Emmanuel to implement his sourcing philosophies and reimagine the Rwandese coffee sector.

As one of the smaller washing stations in Baho’s fleet, Ngoma CWS is where they’ve centered most of their traceable specialty production. Micro lots consisting of producers all living in one community, or one island in this case, are extremely rare in Rwanda, where you’re more likely to see regional blends comprising hundreds or even thousands of farms. Emmanuel is pioneering this type of hyper-focused, granular traceability in Rwanda, with some stunning results. With such a diverse landscape, this type of lot separation shows the unique soil and weather conditions in each community, in turn giving each coffee a unique fingerprint.

A washing station right by the shores of Lake Kivu, a forward-thinking exporter, and dozens of islands in prime coffee-growing country, each with their own unique microclimate – Ngoma has some incredible potential. For this lot, Emmanuel had all seven Bikunda producers sail from the island to Ngoma to deliver the cherries together (a riskier journey than you’d expect, look up “limnic eruptions” if you want to learn about why sailing Lake Kivu isn’t a walk in the park). Here’s what Emmanuel had to say about the experience:

“This group was selecrted for their pride. We wanted them to feel together and work as a team. They were given their specific delivery day at our Ngoma station, and, coming together, on one boat, sailing, was a kind of ambiance and fun. We want coffee to unite people and make them strong. They much appreciated this approach, and we hope to continue this next year. By taking such an approach, it helps us to gain people and build an open and fair relationship between the Baho team and farmers. We can assess these farmers for training, research, information gathering, and many other activities or projects.”

The result is stunning – a squeaky clean natural with lush tropical body (we’re getting mango), a crisp pomegranate acidity, and a comforting cacao finish.