RWANDA GITEGA LOT #48

It has been some time since we last sourced coffee from Rwanda and this return feels especially rewarding. We are more than happy to bring Rwanda back into the Arkib lineup. Through our good friend Nas at Falcon Coffee we explored a wide selection at the cupping table and this year two natural coffee lots stood out with quiet confidence. Both were selected from Gatare and Gitega washing stations and processed by Rwanda Trading Company whose work continues to set a high benchmark for quality in the country.

Our second return to Gitega arrives with quiet confidence and has never faltered in its clarity as Rwanda’s natural process reveals a softer and more expressive spectrum beyond its familiar brightness. At a more developed roast Gitega shows a different set of flavours where espresso pulls deepen into sweet cola and molasses while still holding a gentle pink guava acidity that lifts into a bright lime finish. With milk it transforms into something indulgent reminiscent of biting into kouign aman with sweet custard as the sweetness rounds into milk chocolate before settling into a soft cacao powder finish making it a deeply satisfying cup and a beautiful expression of Rwanda natural coffee.