Rwanda Humere (Fully Washed)
This fully washed coffee comes from Humere washing station. The washing station is managed entirely by women, a rarity in the male-dominated coffee industry. It is a Red Bourbon with floral and citrus notes.
This year, Baho Coffee invested in new washing channels and a massive storage unit to help the station produce even more incredible coffee. The station is named after the highest hill in the area, which is a popular tourist destination as well as being a community hub.
Farmers in Rwanda generally own small plots , with coffee trees intercropped with food crops; however, coffee remains the biggest source of income throughout the year. The Rwandan government has incentivised the creation of new washing stations and has partnered with local shareholders in an effort to improve coffee quality - in turn helping the economy due to coffee becoming one of Rwanda’s biggest exports.
Humere washing station makes an effort to support farmers in multiple ways; providing safety equipment, supplying farmers with small yearly loans to help with costs and expenditures, and distributing seedlings to help farmers renew ageing rootstock.
Cherry is selectively handpicked by farmers and their families. At the washing station, the cherry is then sorted again by hand and then floated to check for density. Accepted cherry is then pulped and then dry-fermented for 8-10 hours - fermentation is quicker than at other stations thanks to the area being typically warmer than other coffee regions.