Known for it’s layered sweetness, fruit-forward character and balanced acidity, this Bourbon lot from Ngoma Coffee Washing Station takes on added depth through natural processing, bringing notes of ripe fruit and winey complexity to the cup. 

ABOUT THIS COFFEE

Located near the town of Kavumu, the land surrounding Ngoma station is covered with dense forests and peppered with hills. The station was built in 2005 by the Rwanda company, MIG (Multisector Investment Group) Coffee, who received help from a USAID program aimed at renewing Rwanda’s coffee industry. Today, Ngoma is co-owned by MIG Coffee and Coffee Business Center (CBC).

MIG is a private initiative supported by the government of Rwanda that works in the development of Rwandese agriculture.  

CULTIVATION

The producers who deliver cherries to the Ngoma washing station typically grow coffee on small plots of land that have 200 trees on average.  

The station mitigates environmental impacts by converting pulp from processing into organic fertilizer that is distributed to farmers to provide additional nutrients to their trees. 

“Farmers are motivated to produce quality coffee but their efforts are not [historically] well remunerated. Coffee prices are not meeting farmers’ expectations,” says Rusatira Emmanuel, Managing Director of Baho Coffee. This is why washing stations countrywide, including those owned by Baho Coffee, are striving to incentivize high quality coffee production with better prices and support for farmers seeking to improve the quality of their harvest.   

In the early 2000s the Rwandan government, with the input of international partners, identified coffee as a potentially key generator of much needed export revenue. To improve the quality of coffee, the government has incentivized the creation of new washing stations in coffee producing areas and has partnered with local stakeholders to make sure that farmers are the main beneficiaries.  

As one measure to this end, the government supports washing stations by providing inputs. The stations, in turn, transport the inputs from government warehouses to the area so farmers can access them more easily. The station is also involved in training farmers how to use inputs properly. 

HARVEST & POST-HARVEST

Ripe cherries are picked and delivered to Ngoma washing station. Cherry is hand sorted at intake, and damaged, overripe and underripe cherry is removed before pulping. Floating tanks are then used to separate heavy, quality cherries from lighter defects. 

Selected cherries are taken directly to raised drying beds. Continuous hand-picking throughout the process ensures that any remaining defects or foreign matter are removed. This careful preparation contributes to the lot’s fruity, complex and occasionally wine-like flavor profile. 

Drying is carried out under the sun on raised beds and requires close attention to detail to prevent mold development. Cherries are turned regularly every 3 hours to ensure even drying, while shade nets are used to cover the beds during the hottest hours of the day or in periods of rain. Defects are continuously removed by hand throughout drying. Moisture content is carefully monitored, with this lot reaching its target of 12% moisture in 35 to 47 days. 

Rusatira says he drew inspiration about drying from cooking methods. “When you take meat and you put it on charcoal, after 20 min you have your meat ready. But in an oven, it would take 45 minutes. If you put it in hot ash, it may take two hours. When you taste these three meats, there’s a difference in the taste,” he says. “I have this kind of thinking that coffees that dry slowly, the taste and lifespan of this coffee may be longer and more delicious than the coffee that dries for 10-12 days in sun.” 

All Baho stations employ their own extended grading system to separate beans into different qualities and sizes. At Baho Coffee stations, coffee is separated into grades A, B and C. Then, grade A is further separated into three grades and grade B into two separate grades, with C remaining a single grade. “It’s more work,” Rusatira says. “But it gives my coffee a chance to excel.” Rusatira believes that “coffee talks” and he likes to listen. Establishing additional grades allows him to interpret each individual bean’s ideal grouping and create more uniform and delectable lots.