African Coffees

Ethiopian ‘Shefina’ has notes of peach pie, lemon drops, and verbena, with a juicy and creamy mouthfeel. We have been using this coffee in our Pompadour Blend to contribute floral flavors and sweetness - so if you enjoy Pompadour, you will love this coffee. We found it was so delicious it deserved to be featured as a single origin.

Located in the highlands of Sidama, Shefina Washing Station purchases coffee cherries from hundreds of smallholder producers with farms less than two hectares each. Due to the diversity of varietals in Ethiopia and the nature of their agricultural practices, the coffee from Shefina Washing Station is a blend of heirloom varietals, which creates a complexity of flavor unique to Ethiopia. The coffee is selectively picked and processed the same day using the ‘washed’ method, then dried on raised beds.

As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is home to more species of coffee plants than any place on earth, much of it still growing wild and much of it still undiscovered. The genetic diversity of coffee varieties means that we find a diversity of flavor, even between (or within) farms with similar growing conditions and processing. The exceptional quality of Ethiopian coffee is due to a combination of factors. The region’s fertile soils, cool climate, and elevation contribute to coffee cherries maturing more slowly, resulting in complex cup profiles. All specialty Ethiopian Coffee is grown above 1200 meters and most above 1800 meters - in the highlands of Sidama, some coffee grows above 2100 meters.

AROMA: jasmine, peach pie
FLAVOR: lemon drops, cherry
BODY: juicy, creamy
FINISH: sugar cookie, verbena
PRODUCER: various smallholders
REGION: yirga alem, sidama region
ALTITUDE: 1800-2200 meters above sea level
VARIETY: heirloom indigenous
PROCESS: washed, then sun-dried
CERTIFICATION: organic

Rwandan 'Mbilima' has flavor notes of coffee blossom, nectarine, and green tea - with a juicy and syrupy body.

This coffee comes from the Dukunde Kawa cooperative, a respected producer group in Rwanda. The co-op is certified by Fair Trade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, and more, and over 80% of its workforce is women. Their farms and washing stations are in the Northern Province, where specialty coffee is less common than in the west and south. Dukunde Kawa started in 2000 with just one wet mill, before most washing stations even existed in Rwanda. Since then, they’ve won sustainability awards from the Specialty Coffee Association and placed high in Rwanda’s Cup of Excellence. Today, the co-op has over 2,000 farmer members and four washing stations - Mbilima is one of them.

Dukunde Kawa opened the Mbilima washing station in 2005 to make it easier for farmers to deliver coffee cherries during harvest. The next closest station was so far away that the long trip hurt coffee quality. Mbilima and its farmers earned organic certification in 2015. The station sits at 2020 meters, making it one of the highest in Rwanda, and benefits from mineral-rich volcanic soil and lush surroundings. Because of the high elevation and local climate, harvest here progresses slowly and lasts into October, multiple months past the majority of the country.

In the late 2000’s, one of East Africa’s most successful coffee interventions, P.E.A.R.L. (Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda Through Linkages), helped Rwandan coffee grow throughout the international market. P.E.A.R.L. was a sweeping infrastructure and education investment targeting large regions of Rwanda whose coffee was for the most part processed at home and exported with little traceability. The program was designed and led by the University of Michigan, Texas A&M, and a host of Rwandan organizations. They built washing stations and organized remote smallholders into cooperative businesses capable of specialty partnerships. They revitalized legacy bourbon coffee varietals. The snappy acidity, stone fruit flavors, and fragrant herbaceousness found in Rwanda’s coffee is still completely unique to bourbon produced anywhere else in the world.

AROMA: coffee blossom, maple syrup
FLAVOR: nectarine, tangerine
BODY: juicy, syrupy
FINISH: green tea, brown sugar
REGION: akanduga, gakenke
VARIETY: local bourbon cultivars
PROCESS: washed, then sun-dried
PRODUCER: dukunde kawa co-op
ALTITUDE: 1500 – 2100 meters above sea level
CERTIFICATION: organic