Alright alright… we’ve had a good lil stretch here of some really nice washed coffees and felt like it was time for some loud. So for this months drop, we got a stunning natural from the synergistic greatness that is Baho Coffee (headed up by Emmanuel Rusatira) x Sundog Trading. Introducing Rugeregere Hill Check it:

This lot is comprised of 22 farmers coffees from Rugeregere Hill (45 total contributing farmers) and processed by Baho Coffee’s, Ngoma Washing Station. This station is located in directly on the shores of Lake Kivu in the Nyamasheke district of the Western Province of Rwanda. The 22 smallholder producers farms sit between 1600-1900 MASL and exclusively grow the Red Bourbon variety. Ngoma is a newer station in the Baho Coffee lineup that Baho purchased in late 2019. As is standard practice for Baho-owned stations - producer training, inputs (fertilizer, seedlings etc.) , and substantial contributions towards health insurance premiums are provided for all farmers delivering. Each station also has an agronomist on-site that organizes training sessions focused on topics such as coffee plant care (planting, fertilizing, pruning, harvesting, etc), environmental protection, and importance of our traceability efforts. Various inputs like fertilizers and new coffee seedlings are provided free of cost to all farmers. Baho is involved a step further here as well - helping farmers with transportation to gather materials and lending tools/equipment when necessary. A really rad model that is turning out some incredible coffees.

The Rugeregere Hill lot is a part of Baho’s ongoing appellation project surrounding the Akagera and Ngoma stations (they’re right down the street from each other!). Baho is focusing on smaller lot separations by processing groups of farmers’ coffee together based on the highest quality growing areas. This is the third year that we’ve isolated coffees from the smallholders that live nearest Rugeregere Hill.  In Emmanuel’s words: Rugeregere Hill in Rwanda is considered as special hill with unique coffee flavor that can't be find anywhere in Rwanda. Many coffee professionals have tested this coffee and they say it is really unique. That is why Baho coffee is trying to mobilize farmers on this hill to do proper farmer maintenance and we will be processing this coffee separately from other farmers. We will keep doing this till we find out a consistent & unique profile of this hill and farmers in it. Rugeregere Hill farmers work with our agronomist and managers of the coffee washing station to provide them instructions regarding the crop. The main goal is to teach them about all aspects of agricultural practice, including growing coffee, harvesting, preserving the environment, and battling illnesses and pests. We also assist them in paying for their medical bills, particularly those who have big families. Additionally, we provide them with free coffee seedlings each year to replenish the old ones and increase the size of the coffee plantation, along with organic and inorganic fertilizers. Thus, this aids in their increased output. The farmers of Rugeregere are smart and they know the value of shade trees that provide shade in their coffee fields, some grow them to give them fruits to generate money, others for feeding their livestock, they know that some shade trees add nitrogen to the soil.

Emmanuel is spot on with my take on this coffee. A super unique natural profile that is not only clean/crisp and bright, but has a cup profile that is super saturated and unique - more on that soon. This lot was processed by the Ngoma Washing Station. Their approach to naturals is as follows: First, a day of intensive sorting at the cherry stage, under complete shade, to ensure only the ripest are chosen and any visible defects are removed.  Step two is multiple rounds of floating - filling a large container with cherries and water, discarding the less dense cherries that float to the top of the tank.  The densest coffees (sinkers) are reserved to be processed as the higher grade lots, and the less dense coffees (floaters) are mixed in with the rejected cherries from the initial sorting to be processed as lower grade lots.  The highest quality cherries are then spread out onto raised beds to begin the drying process.  The goal is for cherries to be a single, shallow layer on the beds. Cherries are turned frequently, and weather conditions are closely monitored throughout the day. If certain temperature thresholds are exceeded, workers will focus on turning coffee more frequently or cover the beds with mesh netting to cool down the environment. This focus on thin layers, coupled with frequent turning and temperature monitoring, is to ensure that the flavors remain clean and free from over-fermentation or mold defects. When the moisture content reaches the target of 10.5 - 11.0%, the drying phase is considered complete. Total drying time for this lot was 36 days. 

Ight, so what’s in the cup!? Prob one of the best naturals I’ve come across this year. Rugeregere Hill is checks a lot of boxes for what I look for in a natural processed coffee, a bright cup with a pointed acidity that balances out a really saturated fruity sweetness and sliky body with a clean and crisp finish. The aroma of this coffee is absolutely awesome with pink and red fruit vibes. In the cup, you’re first hit with a tart hibiscus / cranberry-like acidity that compliments a loud raspberry sweetness. As the cup cools, a nice warming spice / floral-y note a la cardamom or mulled cider creep up in the cup leaving you with a crisp finish. Rugeregere Hill is everything Emmanuel states it is in the cup. A dynamic, clean and mostly unique cup profile for a naturally processed Rwandan coffee.

Snag a bag and dig in to this beaut!!