Farm: Kanzu, Rwanda

Notes: Lime, Dark Fruits, Black Tea

Processing: Washed

Elevation: 1,800-2,000 MASL

Varietal: Bourbon

Region: Kanzu, Rwanda

Color: Agtron 67 Whole Bean | 98 Ground

About
Our first venture into Rwandan coffee! Plumline comes from the Kanzu washing station in Nyamasheke, a region that sits along the western edge of the country near Lake Kivu. This lot brings lime acidity upfront, followed by deeper, darker fruit notes that give it weight and complexity, finishing with a black tea-like quality that lingers long after the cup is empty. It's the kind of coffee that works beautifully as a pour-over but also pulls a killer espresso if that's your thing.

More About The Coffee
The Kanzu washing station is located in the Nyamasheke district of Rwanda's Western Province, perched at around 1,836 meters above sea level. On clear days, you can see all the way down to Lake Kivu, which forms Rwanda's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The station is surrounded by rolling green hills planted with coffee, cassava, sweet potato, sugar cane, bananas, and beans—a patchwork of smallholder farms where producers grow coffee alongside their food crops.

Kanzu processes cherry from hundreds of smallholder farmers, most of whom farm between one and two hectares. The Bourbon varietal that dominates this region is a natural mutation of Typica, brought to Rwanda decades ago and now the backbone of the country's specialty coffee production. Bourbon is known for its complex sweetness, bright acidity, and full body—qualities that thrive in Rwanda's high-altitude, mineral-rich volcanic soils.

Processing at Kanzu is meticulous. When cherry arrives at the station, it's floated to separate out lower-density beans, then pulped using a McKinnon disc pulper. The coffee undergoes a dry fermentation for 16-18 hours, allowing natural enzymes to break down the mucilage and develop flavor complexity. After fermentation, the remaining mucilage is washed off, and the coffee is soaked for up to 18 hours before being dried on raised mesh beds that allow for airflow from below. The entire process is designed to produce clean, vibrant, traceable lots that showcase the best of what Rwandan coffee has to offer.

Kanzu was taken over by Dormans in 2012, and since then, the company has invested heavily in infrastructure, farmer training, and quality control. The washing station employs about 50 local workers during the harvest season (March to July) and has become a hub for the surrounding community, offering not just employment but also a reliable market for smallholder producers who might otherwise struggle to access specialty buyers. The result is a coffee that tells the story of its place—a landscape of mist-covered mountains, volcanic soil, and a farming community deeply committed to quality.

Plumline | Rwanda