DR Congo Single Origin - Kawa Kabuya Cooperative - Fully Washed Heirloom
We love to travel the world in our coffee cup but we get particularly excited when travelling to a new country.
This month we welcome you to Congo for the first time - for a delicious coffee and a success story from a country that has had more than its share of tragedy.
In the Kivu region, close to the border with Rwanda and Uganda the Kawa Kabuya Cooperative makes use of the rich volcanic soil and high standards of hand sorting to produce speciality coffees.
Origin: DR Congo
Coffee might not be not the first thing that springs to end when you think of DR Congo, but this enormous country is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth, so it stands to reason that some parts of it would be ideal for producing coffee. The coffee region is in the northeast of the country in the region in the highlands around lake Kivu.
Coffee growing was actually introduced by the Belgians during the colonial period. Coffee production was enforced on the households and large plantations were built. The actual production of coffee was a success but when the colony ended the plantations were abandoned and the Congolese people choose to cultivate other crops because coffee was associated with oppression.
Nowadays these old coffee plantations, long abandoned, are being rediscovered and around 11.000 farmers have taken up coffee growing again, mostly in small scale community projects. Around 20% of the production is of Arabica coffee (the rest is Robusta).
Variety/Cultivar: Heirloom
The Coperative: Kawa Kabuya
The Kawa Kabuya Coffee Cooperative is a result of a cooperation between local farmers and international NGOs, whose main goal is to improve the livelihood of farmers.
Members of the cooperative have seen their initial investment repaid within the first year of operations and saw their returns doubled within 2 years. Members now send all their children to primary school and many to secondary, and even touniversity.
Working together in the safety of a cooperative helps farmers overcome some of the major challenges of operating in a violent environment.
In January 2018 the cooperative won the 'Taste of Harvest' competition for arabica coffees in the DRC.
Taste
You can taste the rich minerals of the volcanic soils in the cup, plenty of tangy red fruits, like lingonberry and cranberry.
Cupping Score - 84
Any score over 80 means that a coffee is considered 'speciality' and has something wonderful for the coffee drinker. This coffee has been awarded a cupping score of 84.
Processing - Fully Washed
Fika Pairing: Apple Streusel Cake
Elevate your coffee experience by pairing this coffee with a seasonal fika recipe especially created by Liam Beauchamp of This Boy Will Bake. The sweet caramel notes of tender autumn apples are a wonderful contrast to the acidity of the Kawa Kabuya coffees.
Muttley & Jack's Coffee Roasters
Muttley & Jack’s is a prize winning coffee roastery based in Stockholm. Each month members receive a box of freshly roasted specialty grade coffee with an education pack to help coffee lovers and the coffee curious get more out of their coffee.
The 'Coffee Experience' packages together speciality coffee, travel and education. Discover more about 'Coffee Experience' membership.
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