Rwandan Coffee: A Medium-Bodied, Smooth, and Citrusy Delight
Rwanda is a small country located in the African Great Lakes region. It is known for its high-quality coffee, which is grown at high altitudes in the mountains. Rwandan coffee is medium-bodied, smooth with bright citrus flavor notes and a subtle grapefruit finish.
The high altitude and volcanic soil of Rwanda create the perfect conditions for growing coffee. The coffee beans are hand-picked and processed using traditional methods. This results in a coffee that is full of flavor and aroma.
What is the History of Coffee in Rwanda? The History of Coffee in Rwanda is interesting. Known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, its production of high-quality, high-altitude coffee farming goes side-by-side with its fight against poverty. Rwanda is a small coffee producing country; Rwanda Coffee Production in 2016, harvested just 220,000 60 kilo-bags compared to 7.1 million in Ethiopia and 4.9 million in Uganda. However, coffee production in Rwanda is positioning itself as a world-class specialty single-origin coffee with delicious flavors.
How was Coffee Brought to Rwanda? Coffee isn’t native to Rwanda. It seems to have been brought to the country by German missionaries in the early 1900s. Beginning around 1930 coffee farming in Rwanda increased though it was mostly low-grade, high volume green coffee beans as dictated by the government creating one of Rwanda's few significant cash crops. From then on, coffee farming in Rwanda grew to represent economic opportunities for many rural families.