Rwanda: Karongi Gitesi 2024

We are excited to bring this coffee back again this year. The Gitesi site is at 1740 meters, actually one of the lower areas, surrounded by high ridges ranging up to 2000 meters where coffee is grown. More than 1,800 coffee farmers in the area supply Gitesi with cherries each year. The station fosters a relationship with the farmers by paying an additional dividend, based on performance, at the end of each season. Gitesi was started in 2005 and has been building capacity with each passing harvest. Like much of Rwanda, the coffee is Bourbon variety. This lot was "built" by looking at all their day lot batches and combining the best ones. Gitesi has placed at COE ("Cup of Excellence") more than once, including top coffee a few years back, and continues to produce competition-level coffees. This is another beautiful Farm Gate coffee that is good for espresso.

Cupping Notes: Strong-steeped English Breakfast tea, mild fruit accents, lemon zest, and sweet overlay of sugar cane juice

Brew Recommendations: Drip, French Press, pour-over, espresso.

Farm Gate Coffee: Farmers paid at least 50% above Fair Trade

Varietal: Bourbon

Region: Karongi

Altitude: 1740-2000 meters

Process: Wet processed (washed) and sun-dried on raised beds

Equity Pricing (EP) Levels

Sustaining Level: $16 per 12 oz bag (check out subscriptions for deep discounts) | More info below

Uplifting Level: $20 per 12 oz bag (check out subscriptions for deep discounts) | More info below

Benefacting Level: $24 per 12 oz bag (check out subscriptions for deep discounts) | More info below

The Rwanda: Karongi Gitesi 2024, sourced by Keia & Martyn's Coffee, represents a classic expression of the Bourbon varietal grown in the Karongi region. Cultivated at elevations between 1740 and 2000 masl, this lot undergoes a washed process, a method typically employed to highlight the inherent clarity and acidity of the bean. In the cup, this coffee presents a profile defined by the structured, tannic quality of strong-steeped English Breakfast tea, balanced by bright lemon zest and a sweet, lingering finish reminiscent of sugar cane juice.

While washed coffees are often celebrated for their clean, vibrant profiles, the specific nuances of this Gitesi harvest offer a sophisticated interplay between mild fruit accents and a refined, tea-like body. For those looking to further explore the descriptors found in this cup, referencing a flavor wheel can be a helpful tool in identifying the subtle complexities inherent in high-altitude Rwandan production.