Kenya Swara AB

Coffee from Rwanda, grown on small farms in the village of Bugoyi, nestled at the foot of the mountain and near the scenic Lake Kivu.

The local farmers are passionate about coffee. Each family has their own small plantation of about 250 coffee trees, often right next to their homes. While the farms may be small, they are the primary source of income for many families in the area. That's why coffee is cared for with such dedication and attention to detail.

During harvest, only the ripest coffee cherries are picked by hand and immediately brought to the washing station. There, the cherries are carefully sorted once again and checked for density, keeping only the best of the best. The selected cherries are then pulped to remove the fruit, soaked, graded, and finally spread out to dry on raised African drying beds.

Drying coffee is a lot like cooking meat, says Rusatira Emmanuel, the founder of Baho Coffee, which manages four washing stations in different coffee-growing regions of Rwanda.

Rusatira believes that meat cooked in hot ash, although it takes longer, tastes better in the end. He draws an analogy with coffee: the longer the beans dry, the richer and brighter the flavor of the drink will be, and the longer the shelf life. That's why at the Bugoyi washing station, coffee is dried under close supervision for up to 93 days.

Brewed as filter, Rwanda Bugoyi reveals flavors of raspberry, hibiscus, and pomelo. As espresso, it has notes of raspberry, red currant and Sicilian orange.