TRADITIONAL
Nº 322 Rwanda Gito
Country: Rwanda
Process: Washed
Grown / Region: Nyamasheke District
Altitude: 1,600 - 1650m
Varietals: Red Bourbon
Producers: Smallholders
Tasting Notes: Blackcurrant, Chocolate Bourbon, Treacle
Roast Level: Dark 5/5
The Gito coffee cherries are hand sorted before being submerged under water, forcing the low density fruit to float and be skimmed. The cherries are then de-pulped and washed through a large serpentine grading channel, being continuously agitated to remove any residual fruit mucilage.
Once separated into grades, it is given a final post-wash rinse and then moved to a pre-drying area where the parchment (the name for green coffee, before milling) is hand-sorted removing any insect-damaged, discoloured or chipped coffee. The parchment is laid out to dry and turned on a regular basis throughout the day for 30 days.
Sourced from three washing stations (Kilimbi, Rugali and Gisheke), this coffee is a classic but wonderful representation of Rwandan washed coffee. The word Gito translates as "tiny" in Kinyarwanda, and one look at the coffee before grinding will show you why. This is referred to as having a small "screen size". These tiny beans can be tricky to roast, but because the size is uniform the intense natural sweetness is the same, cup after cup!
DISCOVERY
Nº 335 Brazil Sert ãozinho Lot 548
Country: Brazil
Process: Natural
Grown / Region: Sertãozinho Municipality
Altitude: 1350 masl
Varietals: Yellow Bourbon
Producers: Smallholders
Tasting Notes: Flapjack, Cocoa Nib, Dried Apricot
Roast Level: Medium 3/5
The community of Sertãozinho village work as a collective to produce their speciality coffee. Unlike the larger estate farms we might think of in Brazil, this coffee is produced by smallholders, and their plots surround the central village. Led by local figure-head Maria Paula Rocha, producers all help each other during harvest, and bring the harvested coffee cherries down from the surrounding hills to their homes for drying. This lot results in a smooth, sweet and intensely chocolatey flavour.
