Rwanda Isimbi Musasa RFA Washed Scr 15+ 2020

Isimbi Musasa Blend
Our Isimbi Musasa coffee is a clean, consistent blend. The lot started with selectively handpicked cherry with damaged or underripe cherries removed. Washing stations only accept perfectly ripe cherry, so farmers take more care when they pick to ensure the maximum amount of cherry is accepted.

Cherries were then floated to remove damaged and low-density picks. The cherry was then wet fermented for 24 hours to remove the remaining mucilage. After fermentation, the parchment was sent through grading canals to separate levels of density. Finally, the parchment was soaked for around 20 hours to improve the quality and shelf life of the coffee.

After washing, the parchment was removed from the water and delivered to pre-drying tables to be hand sorted - defects are often easier to catch when the parchment is still wet. After this process, the parchment was laid on tables to sun-dry where it was sorted again to remove any remaining defects.

Rainforest Alliance
RFA stands for Rainforest Alliance, a certification system that emphasizes climate-smart agriculture. RFA farms have at least 40% of land covered in canopy, significant species diversity (at least 12 native tree species per hectare, on average) and a system of natural vegetation buffers between agricultural land and bodies of water. The farms also use organic fertilizers.

Rwanda Coffee History
Coffee was brought to Rwanda in the early 1900s by German missionaries, but largescale production was established about 40 years later by the Belgian colonial government. By the 1970s, coffee had become the single largest export in Rwanda, accounting for 70% of total export revenue. Coffee became so prized that pulling coffee trees from the ground became a criminal act.

When global coffee prices to plummeted in the late 1980s and early 90s Rwanda was hard hit. Following, the 1994 genocide led to a total collapse of coffee exports and with it went vital revenue for the people and government.

Despite adversity, Rwanda’s people and its economy has stabilized. Today Rwanda is considered to be one of the more stable countries in the region and its economy has grown by 7-8% per year. Coffee production returned and has played a key role in this economic growth. Coffee has also influenced gender equality and new initiatives that focus on helping women acquire the tools and knowledge to be better farmers.

Today, smallholders are moving the coffee trade in Rwanda forward. Most coffee in Rwanda is grown by the smallholders who own less than a hectare of land. The majority of Rwanda’s coffee production is Arabica with Bourbon variety plants comprising 95% of all coffee trees cultivated in Rwanda.