Archetype has offered a few stellar Rwandan Naturals, and this one lives up to that lineup. Full of dried fruits and that classic Rwanda cola note, this small portion of this lot we picked up from Kanzu is a fun break from some of our typical African natural process coffees. Super clean and fruity!
Rwanda Nyamasheke Kanzu Natural
Comfort
Adventure
Light
Dark
Some notes from the Importer(Red Fox Coffee Merchants):
"Kanzu’s coffee comes from the Nyamasheke growing region in South Central Lake Kivu. It’s high up in the mountains around 2000 meters above
sea level and features green, lushly-forested mountainsides.
We have chosen to increase our presence in Nyamasheke district over surrounding areas because of the sheer quality of coffee in that subregion.
Bordering Congo on the west, it offers a range of altitudes all the way up to 2200 masl and beyond. It’s also home to the biodiverse Nyungwe forest,
where rainfall ranges from 1300 to 1400 millimeters per year. The soil is volcanic and rich. All of those factors combine to bring us unparalleled
quality, which (among other things) pushed us to double down on Kanzu over the years.
The Nyungwe National Forest protects Kanzu’s biodiversity and prevents deforestation. The forest collects cloud cover, generating a special misty
microclimate that slows cherry maturation and protects the coffee from climate extremes. It’s right above Lake Kivu and the view looks down on the
watershed, all the way down to the lake itself. Kanzu is on the downslope right below this forest, at an extremely high elevation, and we’ve always
seen how climate plays a huge role in the flavor development of these coffees. The cherries here ripen a lot later than most of the country and are
frequently one of the last harvests of the season.
The unique microclimate, meticulous harvest and processing, and constancy of community here keep us coming back every year.
Kanzu washing station is located at 1836 meters above sea level with great access to the hills covered with coffee and excellent agricultural
practices. Kanzu is able to produce 4 to 6 containers of excellent coffee per year. We have built a strong relationship with the producers of the area
over time. To date, Kanzu is working with more than 535 farmers and those farmers are also registered under certification programs like Rainforest
Alliance and trained in best practices to help them continue producing the best possible coffee.
At the washing station the cherries are sorted by flotation to carefully remove not just unripes but also any potential insect damage. After pulping,
sorting happens in the pre-drying area. This phase is called skin drying, where they pre-dry the skin of coffee so that it won’t crack under full sun
conditions. During skin drying they sort out any further visible defects.
Rwanda makes up a smaller portion of the total volume of coffee that we buy at Red Fox, but it represents some of the best work we do—we utilize
long-term relationships and local expertise to bring in some of the best coffee in the world with top-tier logistics so that it arrives in top condition.”
