From the “Land of a Thousand Hills” comes Abadatezuka. Named after a cooperative of smallholder farmers in Rwanda’s Western Province, this washed coffee comes to us via our friends at Cafe Imports and is another stellar example of the great work they do in responsibly sourcing exceptional coffees.
Situated on the border of Lake Kivu and the Nyugwe forest, Rwanda’s Western Province is a very abundant and tropical area. The region’s fertile soil coupled with the extreme elevation has allowed for the local small producers and washing stations to turn out specialty coffee at higher volumes than ever before seen in Rwanda. Interestingly, the honeybees native to the area play a part in creating the unique profile of the coffee by assisting in the pollination of the coffee plants.
The process for washed coffees in Rwanda starts with coffee cherries being delivered to central processing units the day they are harvested where they will then be depulped and fermented in cement open-air tanks for up to 18 hours. Unique to Rwanda and parts of Kenya, the cherries are then taken after fermentation and soaked in water for 24 hours. Their mucilage is then removed and spread on raised drying beds.
