The Nyamasheke district in Rwanda is gifted in terroir. The cool, humid climates of both Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe Forest National Park keep groundwater abundant throughout the uniquely hilly region. Kivu itself is part of the East African Rift whose consistent drift creates volcanic seepage from the lake’s bottom and enriches the surrounding soils. Coffees from this region are often jammier and heavier than in the rest of the country. Murundo’s coffees in particular are full of complex sugars, currant-like acids, blackberry and spice flavors, and round, soft textures.

Produced by the Kivubelt group in western Rwanda, this lot comes from the Jarama Coffee Washing Station (CWS), one of two processing sites the Kivubelt company operates. Cyiya is a small community with a high elevation and distinct forest influence that contribute great potential to the coffee. Thanks to the farmers making the most of this potential, Cyiya’s coffee is annually among the top lots processed by the Jarama CWS.

Kivubelt was established in 2011 by Furaha Umwizey, after returning to Rwanda with a master’s degree in economics from Switzerland. Born and raised in Rwanda, Umwizey’s goal with Kivubelt is to create a model coffee plantation, as sustainable in agriculture as it is impactful in local employment and empowerment. The company began with 200 scattered acres of farmland in Gihombo, a community in Rwanda’s coffee-famous Nyamasheke district that runs along the breathtaking central shoreline of Lake Kivu.

This is a fully washed Bourbon from Nyamasheke, near Lake Kivu, where the cool, humid conditions influenced by the nearby Nyungwe forest and the region’s volcanic-influenced soils help produce clean, well-structured cups. It’s processed through the Jarama washing station network and typically dried on raised beds at high elevation (around 1700–1900 masl).

Low acid, sweet, clean profile with a nutty/chocolate base and a light citrus lift; roasted lighter it leans brighter and more fruit-forward, and pushed darker it turns deeper and sweeter with more cocoa and caramelized sugar and less acidity.

Adapted from Burman Coffee Traders