Rwanda Nyamurinda Natural Espresso

We are always excited about each new harvest from the Imaculee sisters, their coffee is always of such a high standard. This naturally dried micro lot from the summer 2024 harvest is no exception and really has its own expression. When the coffee is dried with the fruit flesh left on the bean, the coffee draws more of the fruity flavors from the pulp during the drying process. This then gives the coffee a more intensified fruitiness, where you can find hints of berries and tropical fruits. Umeshu; here we find flavors of really sweet plums, dried apricots & not least rum raisin. As an espresso, it is full-bodied, round and has a nice fruit acidity that complements the coffee's winey sweetness.

Rwandan coffee also tends to be smooth and well-balanced, with a pleasant aftertaste. The acidity is often lively but not too sharp, providing a good harmony between the fruity sweetness and the milder fullness from the cherry-drying method.

It's also worth noting that in general, cherry-dried coffee requires more time and care during the drying process to avoid undesirable flavors that can arise if the cherries are not dried properly. Therefore, it is often a sign of high quality when a coffee uses this drying method, especially if it comes from a country like Rwanda where coffee production is carefully controlled and almost always takes place in small-scale processing stations.

Even before we started Gringo, in 2017 we visited the sisters Beatrice and Immaculate, who run the Nyamurinda coffee station in western Rwanda. And we've been back several times - most recently during the 2023 harvest - keeping the relationship alive. The sisters actively support women family farmers in the region and buy their coffee largely from women producers. The coffee is not certified organic, but all coffee is cover-grown, no artificial fertilizers or pesticides are used.