Description
Station: Rugali
Region: Nyamasheke District
Country: Rwanda
Altitude: 1450 – 1600 MASL
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Natural
Cupping notes: Black tea, red grapefruit & cherry
Rugali has become an impactful example of a successful washing station for the specialty coffee market. It is a station that has in just a few years produced coffees that have been used in competitions worldwide and put the Nyamasheke District on the map for high-quality processed Rwandan coffees.
The station is located close to its smaller sister station Kilimbi. These two stations were the first stations in Rwanda to legally export natural and honey-processed coffees. While the production of natural and honey-processed coffee is still monitored strictly by NAEB, the elevation of Rugali naturally lends itself to producing coffee in these styles.
All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, underripe or damaged cherry is removed, along with any foreign objects. Once the cherry is sorted and cleaned, it is ready to be dried. The cherries are laid out evenly across raised beds, providing consistent airflow, and height away to prevent moisture and animals from coming into contact with the cherry.
The cherry is dried for 30 days, turned constantly when the sun is high and covered during the night. Once the cherry has dried, the now-dried outer fruit is removed, and the coffee beans are ready to be organised for packing.
