December 16

To anyone who has followed, its no secret that we are huge fans of Rwanda, following the developments and the relaxing of regulations, giving way to the production of nauural and honey processed coffees a few years ago. Earlier this year, while researching another lot, we stumbled upon a CWS (coffee washing station) in Rwanda that had begun experimental processing. Excited we were, but as this CWS was represented by a sourcing company that doesn't pop up on our radar, we gave up hope. That was until Jason and the team at Vanguard coffee Co came through with this from Tropic Coffee, whom we first encountered in January 2022.

Words by Vanguard Coffee Co:

Tropic Coffee Company Ltd is a family-owned business founded in 2015, focusing on supporting farmers. The company values transparency towards partners, clients, and farmers. Keeping farmers in mind, Tropic Coffee company has created several wash stations across the country of Rwanda. Sourcing from multiple regions with alternating climates and soil compositions also provides a unique organoleptic property to their coffee creating interesting profile variations.
Gisanga coffee is 100% red bourbon coffee grown in Mbuye Sector, Ruhango District in the Southern Province of Rwanda. This area constitutes one of the best elements of the central "plateau" of the country with an altitude ranging between 1,650 - 1,850 metres above sea level. 
Using a newly emerging processing method the coffee is processed using an anaerobic natural process. The coffee is submerged in water with the cherries on and the tank is deprived of oxygen. This allows chemical reactions to occur and ferments the beans. Enzymes within the coffee become activated and start to break down, converting residual sugars into alcohol and resulting in a less acidic and sweeter product.