Leaving Rwanda

Hey folks. We leave Rwanda today to begin the long journey back home.

A few of us buyers gathered in Butare, Rwanda this week to taste the coffees grown by the Karaba co-operative, in the Gikongoro province of Rwanda. This co-op runs a washing station to collect the coffee from its members. Here is the cool thing: they keep each day's coffee separate, so we were able to taste 88 separate lots from the 88 days coffee was brought to the station. What a project! It took us DAYS to get through the 88 A1 lots and 20 or so A2 lots.

The coffees were spectacular. Raspberry, spice, vanilla, and citrus were everywhere in the cups. The most impressive thing about these coffees was the craftsmanship evident in each lot: we did not find a single lot which had been improperly fermented, washed or dried. This is almost unheard of in small-producer coffees!

Just as exciting as the coffees was the welcome we were given by the co-op. We were treated to dancing and singing at the washing station, and over the course of the week we ate our fill of goat brochettes and Mutzig beer. These people are FIRED UP about creating great coffees. It is no wonder that Rwandan coffees are among the most exciting things being offered by the best roasters these days. We cupped with local cuppers who work for the co-op, and they were among the best cuppers I have ever worked with at origin. This is particularly amazing given the fact that they have only been cupping here for 2 or 3 years! (The fact that they are so good is in large part to the fact that great roasters, including Geoff Watts of Intelly and others, have been volunteering their time to train cuppers for the past few years. Cool.)

It is rewarding to be a part of sustainable agriculture in a country like Rwanda, which has been troubled by poverty and political instability for generations. Duane and I kept looking at each other and saying: "this is what it's all about."

One of the dances the Karaba folks performed for us was about a warrior who protects his wife from danger. Lindsey Bolger, one of the buyers, declared in a speech shortly afterwards that we roasters were committed to protecting the coffee, just as that man in the dance was protecting his wife. I thought that was a wonderful, inspiring sentiment.

Protect the coffee, people.