KARAMBI

Nyamasheke District has the highest concentration of coffee washing stations in all of Rwanda. Growing conditions are excellent here, with high elevations, great soil, and favorable rainfall—basically everything necessary to produce the best coffees. Almost everything grown is red bourbon, cultivated on tiny plots averaging less than a hectare each. In contrast with Latin America, single farm coffees are basically unheard of: our 20 bag lot represents the combined annual production of about 57 individual farmers. Throughout Rwanda, and especially in Nyamasheke, there is high competition between washing stations, and each must accept nearly 100% of the coffee delivered to them. To maintain quality, each station must pay close attention to a meticulous sequence of processing and sorting...