Origin: Nyamasheke District, Rwanda

Producers: Akagera Washing Station servicing 460 farmers

Process: Anaerobic Natural

Varieties: Red Bourbon

Altitude: 1535-1900masl

Importer: Semilla Coffee & Baho Coffee

Roast: Light

Notes: Elderflower, Clementine, White Tea, Green Apple Candy

Transparency - We paid Semilla $5.75 usd / lb + shipping from montreal to our roastery.

2024 Rwanda national farmgate price: 480 Rwanda Francs per kg cherry.
2024 Baho farmgate price Ikizere washed: 700 Rwanda Francs per kg cherry on delivery, 20RWF/Kg second payment. 720 RWF/kg total
2024 FOT Kigali price to Baho for Akagera washed lots: $4.08USD/lb.

Rwanda Akagera Anaerobic Natural

In Chicago last year I had the privilege to meet owner and the force behind Baho Coffee, Emmanuel! Greeted with a BIG smile and a BIGGER hug, we got to chatting about our coffees and the projects he had on the go. 

One of the projects I was excited about this year is their Akagera washing station, and their unique approach to anaerobic fermentation in clay amphora pots. Baho is always experimenting with new processes, really pushing the extremes of their coffees. This Anaerobic Natural Red Bourbon is the perfect example of this process.

This coffee is a Red Bourbon variety, harvested between March and June 2024, from farms sitting high at 1535-1900 masl. But what really sets this lot apart is the Anaerobic Natural process. Get ready for a cup that's bursting with unique, vibrant notes you won't find just anywhere.

Akagera: Small Station, Big Potential

The Akagera Washing Station joined the Baho Coffee lineup when Emmanuel took the reins in early 2020. Tucked away in the famous Nyamasheke District, between the stunning Lake Kivu and Nyungwe National Forest, Akagera benefits from cool, humid air that Emmanuel credits with creating its distinct coffee flavors.

Akagera is one of Baho's smaller stations, with only about 460 farmers delivering cherries. This means the team can focus laser-like on quality, ensuring every bean meets high standards. The station was actually established by the Kobakanya Cooperative, a group of 50 producers who were struggling to find consistent market access.

Recognizing Akagera's huge potential, Baho stepped in and purchased the station. Now, Kobakanya and its dedicated growers have guaranteed high prices and direct access to the specialty coffee market. Emmanuel is committed to this partnership, offering ongoing support, coffee seedlings, and training to help them grow even more.

The area between Lake Kivu and Nyungwe National Forest is mostly known for tea. But Emmanuel is convinced Akagera's specific microclimates are perfect for high-quality coffee. Because cherry demand is so high here, and competition is fierce, all coffees from Akagera this year fetched a farmgate price 50% above the national average! Emmanuel always aims to pay more than average, but Akagera really pushed the limits this year, making sure producers are well rewarded for their hard work.

The Anaerobic Natural Magic at Akagera

First, the cherries go through a rigorous sorting process. They're weighed, hand-sorted to remove any immature or over-ripe cherries, and then floated to separate the good, heavy cherries from the lighter ones.

Now for the anaerobic part! The perfectly sorted cherries are placed into plastic barrels or clay pots. For this lot, it's a wet anaerobic fermentation (with a small amount of water added) and dry anaerobic fermentation (without water). These containers are sealed(without oxygen inside!) and placed in the shade for either 72, 100, or 120 hours. For wet fermentation, the barrels are continuously turned to ensure everything mixes evenly and to regulate temperature.

Once fermentation is complete, the barrels are opened, and the fermented cherries are carefully spread out on raised drying beds. Here, they're constantly hand-picked to remove any damaged cherries or foreign matter. This crucial drying phase takes between 35 and 40 days, until the coffee reaches a maximum 12.5% moisture content. After drying, the coffee rests in a store for at least 30 days before heading to the dry mill.

At the dry mill, standard equipment is used to de-parch the coffee (remove the outer layers), colour sort, and identify any damaged beans. Finally, the beans are hand-sorted one more time for absolute perfection before being prepared for export.

This meticulous, controlled anaerobic process results in a coffee with truly unique and complex flavors – think vibrant clementine, white tea, caramel green apple lollipop, and floral elderflower.

Emmanuel writes -

 “Baho’s vision on community is guided by having a synergetic relationship with the community of farmers that we work with, where we guide them and create solutions in a replicable, sustainable and scalable manner leading to economic growth and poverty reduction. Our overall vision is implied by the meaning of our name, Baho, which in our local language means live/life. It is like a tree that grows up and has branches, flowers and fruits and still keeps its roots in the ground. Baho is born, grows up and sells coffee both locally and internationally and never forgets the origin.”

We hope to to be able to buy more coffee from Baho as we grow, and hopefully continue to watch Baho's branches of producers grow as well.

Thank you if you made it this far down! you can read more at Semilla's website if you're keen. 

https://www.semilla.ca/baho-coffee-rwanda