Rwandan Coffees: A Labor of Love

RWANDAN COFFEES: A LABOR OF LOVE

2.4.22

Commonplace Coffee celebrates Valentine's Day early this year with the release of three exceptional Rwandan coffees. Farmed, sourced, and roasted with love.

A LABOR OF LOVE

Commonplace Coffee celebrates Valentine's Day early this year with the release of three exceptional Rwandan coffees. Farmed, sourced, and roasted with love.

Three different ways to enjoy these limited-time Rwandan coffees:

The Rwandan Sampler, featuring three 6oz bags.
Our standard 12oz retail bags, available in stores and online.
Bulk 2lb and 5lb sizes, available exclusively for online orders.

Learn more about these exceptional coffees in an interview with Commonplace Coffee Roasting Operations Manager Dave Smallhoover.

CP: Tell us more about the differences between the processing methods used for these coffees.

DS: The historic component of these Rwandan coffee processes is very interesting. Prior to the establishment of washing stations in Rwanda, coffee was manually depulped by the farmer and sold as wet parchment. The washed processing of Fugi Ikizere Women is a more controlled version of that traditional method of hand depulping. Intango is another method steeped in the traditional history of Rwanda. Baho Coffee adapted an ancient tradition of fermenting fruit in clay pots into a coffee processing method.

FUGI IKIZERE WOMEN

plum, lemon, and brown sugar

Commonplace Coffee: What makes this sampler unique, and why would someone want to purchase three coffees from the same origin?

Dave Smallhoover: This sampler provides the unique opportunity to taste, side-by-side, how three different processing methods directly affect Rwandan coffee. It also offers our guests a peek into different coffee fermentation methods, a practice that increased in the last few years. Through both the tasting experience and information provided about these coffees, this sampler has the opportunity to expand guests’ knowledge of how coffee is grown, processed, and delivered to the roastery.

BUGOYI

raspberry, grape, and orange cream

CP: Sometimes coffees processed using new or experimental methods can have a flavor profile that is overwhelming. Elaborate more about Intango processing, and how it avoids falling into that trap.

DS: Baho Coffee owner Emmanuel Rusatira’s adaptation of a traditional practice makes this processing method incredibly unique. The fermentation aspect of Intango processing is innovative, but the drying protocol for this coffee keeps it consistent and cohesive in flavor, while avoiding aging and over fermenting. Baho Coffee often compares its drying methods to that of a low-and-slow style of cooking. This perspective leads to intense monitoring of temperature and moisture content.

BUGOYI INTANGO

blood orange, green apple, and peach

CP: Sometimes coffees processed using new or experimental methods can have a flavor profile that is overwhelming. Elaborate more about Intango processing, and how it avoids falling into that trap.

RWANDAN SAMPLER

all three Rwandan coffees in 6oz sampler size

CP: Why did we choose to bring back these Rwandan coffees for a third year?

DS: As a new buying relationship, we purchased a small quantity to gauge the demand for these coffees and get feedback from our staff and community in 2020. When we received strong positive feedback, we expanded our offerings in 2021 to include three different, distinct Rwandan offerings. That year our Rwandan coffees were the most talked-about offerings in our lineup, so we wanted to double-down for 2022. All three of these are so good that we knew the green coffee would sell out quickly, so I set out in Spring 2021 to express our desire to source the same coffees again. This early notice helps Sundog Trading better evaluate supply and demand for the ongoing harvest. By creating an established buying relationship, we hope to help stabilize farmers’ access to financial services, offer supply chain sustainability, and instill confidence in the value of their product.