Speaking of coffee-producing countries in Africa, Front Street believes that "Ethiopia", "Tanzania", or "Kenya" are the countries that everyone will think of immediately. But in addition to these well-known large countries, there are many small countries in Africa that produce high-quality coffee! For example, what Front Street wants to share today is Rwanda, known as the "Heart of Africa". It is a rising star of African coffee that has made a big splash in the specialty coffee industry in recent years. It is also the first country in Africa to host COE.
Rwanda is a small landlocked country in central Africa, surrounded by major coffee-producing countries. It borders Burundi to the south, Tanzania to the east, Uganda to the north, and Congo to the northwest.And because there are overlapping mountains in the territory, there are five volcanoes alone, so Rwanda is crowned the "Land of a Thousand Hills".（Land of a Thousand Hills）reputation. In addition to the mountains, Rwanda also has 23 lakes and numerous rivers, with considerable water resources.
Like these surrounding countries, Rwanda is also a country very suitable for growing coffee. It is located south of the equator and has a temperate and tropical plateau climate. The average temperature is between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius. The temperature is lower than that of typical equatorial countries. There are two obvious rainy seasons every year, and the rainfall is very abundant.Coffee is mainly grown in the south and west. Due to the higher altitude in these areas, the temperature will be lower than the low-lying areas in the east, and the temperature difference will be larger. Thanks to this, the maturation time of the coffee will be extended, allowing more sugar to be accumulated to develop a richer flavor. Coupled with the mineral-rich volcanic soil, the growing environment for Rwandan coffee can be said to be very favorable.The main coffee varieties grown in Rwanda are Red Bourbon, Kaduura, and Kaduai. Among them, Bourbon（Bourbon）It is the most planted variety and accounts for more than 90% of Rwanda’s coffee production.Initially, Bourbon was introduced to Puerto Rico from Central America, and then introduced to the Republic of Congo in the 1930s. About 20 years later, Bourbon was introduced to Rwanda and became the main coffee variety grown there.Front Street often shares its share of bourbon, as there are many varieties around the world that have evolved from or are related to bourbon. It is Arabica and has very excellent flavor performance! However, like Typica, bourbon has an excellent flavor, but has low disease resistance and low yield. Therefore, many producing countries that originally used bourbon as the main planting variety have subsequently switched to other higher-yielding and better varieties such as Caturra and Caduai.Production and Processing of Rwandan CoffeeLike most coffee-producing countries in Africa, Rwanda’s coffee is mainly produced by small farmers. With the support of the government, coffee has been transferred from farmers' rough processing at home to being transported to nearby washing stations for delicate washing processing.After 2000, Rwanda launched the PEARL program in order to save the coffee industry, which had been hit hard by civil strife.(Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages project, full name: Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages project). This plan aims to promote the improvement of the quality and quantity of Rwandan coffee, while helping farmers have better income, thus forming a virtuous cycle. When this plan was implemented, Rwanda successively built dozens of coffee washing processing plants. Since then, Rwanda’s coffee has been mainly washed.Washing treatment can make coffee have a cleaner performance. Because the degree of fermentation is relatively low and the stability is high, the coffee shows more of its original taste.
The specific process is very simple, just like what Front Street has always shared: first, flotation is used to screen out the unripe and defective coffee cherries, and then a peeling machine is used to remove the coffee peel and pulp. The pectin-containing coffee beans are then left to ferment in a pool. After fermentation is complete, clean water is used to remove the pectin remaining on the surface of the beans. Finally, the coffee beans with only the parchment skin remaining are sent to be dried in the sun. When the moisture content of the coffee beans drops to about 11% to 13%, the parchment skin can be removed or stored in a warehouse, waiting for export.Because the quality of washed coffee is so outstanding,In addition, Rwanda is already very rich in water resources, so in just a dozen years, the number of washed coffee processing stations in Rwanda has increased to more than 200, all of which are privately owned and owned by green coffee exporters or cooperatives.As mentioned in the front street, most of Rwanda’s high-quality coffee comes from the south and west, the Huye Mountains and Nyamagabe area in the south, and the Nyamasheke area on the shores of Lake Kivu in the west. Because these areas have relatively high altitudes and abundant rainfall, the coffee grown in them will have better flavor performance.After several rounds of cupping, Front Street finally selected Nanshike, located in western Rwanda.（Nyamasheke）of washed red bourbon as a new addition to the Front Street Bean menu. This bean is washed and the bean is red bourbon. It is grown in the Nanshike production area with excellent environment in Rwanda. It can be said that it has gathered all the best representatives of Rwanda, so naturally, we can taste the most Rwandan terroir from it!Front Street Coffee: Rwanda·Washed Red BourbonProduction area: Nanshike（Nyamasheke）Altitude: 1500~1700 metersTreatment method: washing methodFlavor: Berry, Apple, Green Tea, Apricot
In order to better express the flavor of Rwanda’s production areas, Front Street uses a medium-light roasting curve for cooking. Cupping was conducted 8 hours after roasting.During the cupping test, Front Street captured the fragrance of apples, green tea, and a light floral aroma from the dry aroma of this bean, which was very fresh. After pouring hot water, you can smell the aroma of berries and green tea.When the coffee enters the mouth, the first thing Front Street feels is the sweet and sour berry. Then the sourness quickly dissipates, and sweet flavors such as apple and apricot appear. After swallowing the coffee, you can capture the obvious fragrance of green tea and apple from the aftertaste. The taste of the whole coffee can be said to be very balanced, with a clean and solid taste, and it is very comfortable to drink!
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
