This is a triple washed coffee from Akanduga, Rwanda produced by cooperative members of the Dukunde Kawa organization at the Mbilima washing station. It is certified Organic and Fairtrade.
The flavor profile is sweet and silky, with distinctly citrusy orange-zest acidity, caramelly sweetness, and notes of plum, hibiscus, rosemary, and red wine.
Our roasters found the coffee well-suited to multiple roast styles, and we chose a balanced heat approach to pair the bright citrusy acidity with a silky body and caramelized sweetness.
When brewed, we especially enjoyed the coffee as a pour-over in a flat-bottomed brewer with a low dose and fine grind, and found the coffee versatile as a single-origin espresso.
Taste Analysis by Chris Kornman
Coffees like this are some of my personal favorites, and there’s really a lot to love here. While on the one hand the flavors are classically Rwandan – there’s orange-zesty citrus notes, mapley-caramelly sweetness, and hints of black tea, peppercorn, and raisin – on the other hand there’s a lot of subtlety and nuance that keeps me coming back.
I’ve had the very distinct pleasure and privilege of having sampled this exact coffee on site at the Dukunde Kawa cooperative, with the organization’s Quality Manager, Emerithe Mukamurigo. She’s a quiet cupper, and didn’t say much during our session, but when I told her my cup score and affinity for the coffee, well, she smiled like she’d known all along where the pot of gold had been hidden.
I’ve been enjoying this coffee as a pour-over, where the fresh ground fragrance and clean paper filter hone the coffee’s flavors into distinctly plummy notes. Doris’ Diedrich roast really let this coffee sing, and on the cupping table we noticed a lot of yellow fruit flavors like pineapple and dried mango. Given the time to dial the coffee in a little, Asha found the roast particularly well suited for flat bottomed pour-overs like the Kalita wave, while Josh found the coffee versatile as a single origin espresso and served me a lovely and expressive shot that was dosed low and pulled long, and tasted just like fresh tangerine and salted caramel.
Green Analysis by Chris Kornman
No surprises here, super clean well sorted coffee starting from the cherry all the way to the dry mill, all managed by Dukunde Kawa with precision and efficiency. This coffee is a classic Rwandan 15+ with a little spillover in the 14 screen, a fairly wide range and a little small overall in size. It has a slightly high density, though I’ll admit I’m a little surprised given the high elevation and low moisture it’s not even higher. Sometimes, and this is purely speculative, I’ve noticed that coffees with a post-fermentation soak (like this one) are occasionally a little lower in density without necessarily behaving like they are in the roaster. You’ll have to check Doris’ roast notes on that to confirm, however.
Overall this is a super clean, very stable looking green that should give roasters very little trouble on the shelf or in the machine.
Diedrich IR-5 Analysis by Doris Garrido
This coffee is our second Rwandan Crown Jewel of the year, a triple-washed coffee featuring a very evenly sized Bourbon cultivar. In terms of density, it measures 722 grams per liter, with an average moisture content of 10%.
My approach to roasting this coffee was a slow start, applying energy from the turning point to the color change. This would help the roast to continue with the remaining energy until the first crack.
Due to its density, I decided to charge at my medium to low starting temperature of 420°F, with the gas set at its lowest, 30%. As mentioned earlier, I began applying gas at the first minute, just before the turning point, at 100%.
As I observed the coffee absorbing the energy and advancing the roast, I reduced the gas to 70% and then immediately to 30% upon reaching the color change.
Airflow for this roast was set at 50% from the start and increased to 100% at the 5-minute mark. Initially, I aimed for a gentle start, and later, I increased the airflow after reducing the gas, as I noticed the coffee had high energy, and I wanted to slow down the caramelization to achieve a longer and more complex flavor on the cup.
The coffee began cracking at 385°F at a slow pace, which worked just great to complete the development phase in 1 minute and 26 seconds, with a final temperature of 394.8°F.
The final cup presented an allspice aroma, a rounded body complemented by sweet citrus, pineapple, plum, guava, and cantaloupe flavors, along with a clean caramel finish.
