Furaha - Espresso from Rwanda

This is the fifth time we've had Furaha's coffee with us. This year, we've once again chosen a washed lot from the Kamajumba Peninsula, but unlike previous years, we're roasting it as an espresso instead of a filter! The coffee has a refreshing vibrancy with notes of caramel, orange, and lime.

Furaha - Green Coffee Information

Taste: Orange, caramel candy, refreshing

Origin of the beans: Lake Kivu, East Coast, Rwanda

Producer: Kivubelt Coffee, Furaha Umwizeye Teuscher

Variety: Red Bourbon

Post-harvest process : pulped, fermented underwater, dried

All our coffees are sold as whole beans.

This is how we would prepare Furaha

Machine: Maro Model 1

Mill: Eureka Single Dose Pro

Why does coffee taste the way it does?

Red Bourbon coffee grows on the Kamajumba Peninsula. There, the cherries benefit from the equatorial mist of Lake Kivu and the volcanic soil emanating from the Virunga volcanoes. The peninsula lies at an altitude of between 1550 and 1700 meters. The cherries are harvested, pulped, and fermented underwater before being dried on drying beds. The slow ripening of the cherries ensures this wonderful balance between acidity and sweetness. size.

Tell me more about Furaha Espresso

A good five years ago, Vanía showed up at our roastery. She said she had an aunt in Rwanda who produced coffee, and she would now import it herself. This is how many coffee stories begin, and this one now enters its fifth chapter. For the past three years, Furaha has been making a honey-processed coffee for us. This year we chose a washed coffee, which brings a fresh character.

Why did we buy Furaha?

Because this coffee thrives on stories and challenges. The contact came through Vanía, who brings her aunt's coffee from Rwanda to Europe. With her company, Somaho Coffee, Vanía impressively demonstrates how even the most adverse circumstances can be met with determination. Vanía launched her business during the coronavirus pandemic—and, as if in defiance, she is managing to make her aunt's coffee increasingly well-known. We met Furaha afterwards in Switzerland. We were impressed by how she recounted her coffee biography as a woman in Rwanda. With Kivubelt Coffee, she has created a company that takes a holistic approach to coffee production and integrates the communities involved.

How do we roast this coffee?

We roast the coffee as a 20kg batch on our 30kg Giesen roaster. We roast the coffee for 11 minutes with a development time of 1:19 minutes (12%). The green coffee is very hard, so we have to roast with a lot of energy almost until the very end, so that the heat penetrates the core. We chose to roast the coffee this way so that the caramel notes are beautifully balanced with the tangy acidity.

Import Bean