Rwanda Milles Collines Peaberry Lot 2

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Foundational sweetness accented by fragrant notes of Rooibos tea, whole spices, floral chamomile, lively notes of apricot tea, and orange. Small bean size not recommended for Behmor grid drums. City to Full City. 

Total Score: 90.0
Product Overview
Full Cupping Notes

Thinking about what I consider to be common flavor characteristics of Rwandan coffees, tea and spice would be at the top of the list. This peaberry blend is a good example of that, and both light and middle roasts express aspects of herbal and black teas, a mix of spices and raw sugars, and a milder fruited side. I also think of the syrupy sweetness that comes with being all Bourbon cultivars, especially in those lots grown at high altitudes, like where this coffee comes from. The aromatic profile is built on a base of raw sugar sweetness, accented by clove, citrus, and hints of loose leaf teas. Light roasts develop a foundation of unrefined sugary sweetness in the cup that only seems to gain momentum as the coffee cools. The aroma carries fragrant notes of Rooibos tea, and whole spices, and I even picked up on a subtle floral hint in the finish, like chamomile tea. Light roasts are lively and bright, with refreshing fruit notes of apricot tea and orange. At Full City, creamy chocolate flavors are developed which helps tie together notes of red berry, and whole spices. It's delicious! One thing to note is that the beans are very small, and I don't recommend roasting this particular peaberry in a Behmor, as some of the beans will slip through the grid drum. I gave it the "shake test" in the grid drum, and out of the 100 grams loaded, 4-5 beans slipped through the screen without much effort. I think most of the coffee will remain inside, but not all of it. 

COFFEE DETAILS
process methodWet Process (Washed)
cultivarBourbon Types
farm gateYes
Farm Notes

Origin & Farm Notes

This coffee lot incorporates peaberry selections from several coffee washing stations in Rwanda's southern and western provinces. Peaberries are considered an abnormality, however they occur in small amounts on every tree. It's when only one of the two coffee seeds inside a coffee cherry germinates, and proceeds to mature inside the cherry as a small, rounded seed. When we buy peaberry lots from a single farmer in say, Guatemala, the final bag count is usually only a couple bags due to the small farm sizes. But in Rwanda, we buy from many cooperative stations that collect coffee from hundreds to thousands of cooperative members, who between them, produce considerably higher volume of this small bean rarity. In this case, we are selling two lots that tasted identical through through this review for a total of 65 bags (lots "A" and "B"). "Milles Collines", as Rwanda is commonly referred to, French meaning "the land of 1000 hills". The cooperatives and washing stations who contributed to this blend are situated in the villages at the tops of some of these "collines", affording access to the higher elevation coffees, and offering ease of delivery for these coffee farm members.

One thing to note is that the beans are very small, and I don't recommend roasting this particular peaberry in a Behmor. I haven't roasted a batch myself, but I did give this coffee the "shake test" in the grid drum to see if any beans would slip through the screen. With 100g in the grid drum, 4-5 beans slipped through the screen without much effort. I think most of the coffee will remain inside, but not all of it. See photo for the comparison with a typical 15+ screen Guatemalan coffee.

Specs

Technical Specifications

Key specifications and operating details for this product.

region Nyamasheke, Western Province
processing Wet Process (Washed)
drying method Raised Bed Sun-Dried
arrival date Dec 2024
lot size 30
bag size 60 KG
packaging GrainPro Liner
farm gate Yes
cultivar detail Bourbon
grade Peaberry
appearance .2 d/300gr, 13+ Peaberry Screen (my assumption based on the small size - see roasting notes)
roast recommendations City to Full City
type Farm Gate
recommended espresso No
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