Congo
Congo has potential for high quality green coffee beans, but it's complicated...
When you consider the coffee quality of Rwanda, just across Lake Kivu from the main coffee-growing areas of Congo, it's easy to imagine the potential here. The region of South Kivu has similar altitudes and varieties of some of the best Rwandan coffees. And there are glimpses of this coffee brilliance in lots we have offered over the years.
Congo coffee from the areas of Bukavu in the south of the coffee zone, to Goma and beyond at the north of the lake, can display complex aromatics and flavors, and vibrant brightness.
Yet a combination of factors, past and present, seem to hold Congo back from exploring this potential in a consistent way. In fact, there is a long tradition of smuggling the coffee of Congo into Rwanda, because of the instability of prices domestically, and problems exporting Congolese coffee under it's true origin.
You can read more about the way we source Congolese green coffee, and link to our videos and travelogues, on our Congo Coffee Library page.