Why coffee you ask? Several years ago, I read an article about the growing number of people roasting coffee at home. Since my baking hobby had started shrinking my pants, I found the idea of roasting coffee interesting. After all, I have always loved coffee, and many of my fondest memories and deepest thoughts have been shared with family and friends over a steaming cup of coffee. So, I took an introduction to home roasting class, and I was immediately hooked! My new hobby quickly became an obsession. I found myself spending hours reading and learning about the different varieties of coffee plants, the regions where they grow, and the people that passionately plant, nurture, and harvest these plants. I realized that coffee for them was not just a vocation, but a way of life that is deeply imbedded in their culture, economy, and society. Whether it be a large finca in Guatemala or the tiniest micro lot farmer in Ethiopia, they all share the same life-long pursuit of growing the perfect beans that will ultimately become the perfect cup of coffee. And, from that coffee plant, the farmers have grown families, communities, churches, schools, health care clinics, as well as saving our rainforests. I ask you, “can coffee save the world?” Perhaps! It certainly has changed mine for the better!
-Kirstie
My mission is simple. It is to bring to my community premium specialty grade coffees from around the world. My promise to you is to always source beans that are responsibly grown and harvested. I promise to take great pride and care into roasting every batch. I promise to continue to learn and grow as a nano roaster so that I can roast the best darn coffee you have ever tasted!
Mention the country Rwanda to me and it immediately invokes images of the genocide that was portrayed in the movie “Hotel Rwanda”. The movie is a depiction of the horrors of the genocide that happened between the Hutu and Tutsi people in the spring of 1994. The massacres left Rwanda in ruins with bodies piled on roadsides, churches and schools destroyed, businesses looted, erratic electricity, and no running water. It is estimated that nearly 8 million people were killed in just 100 days with the majority being men. Many of the surviving male population fled to neighboring countries leaving the population of Rwanda 70% female. At the time, women lead subservient lives and were not allowed to own or inherit land from their spouses or male family members. How were they going to survive? How will they support their families, rebuild their churches, schools, and communities? What would happen to their country?
Out of this devastation, grew a women’s movement that changed ownership and inheritance laws so that women could go from working the farm to owning the farm. This resulted in the birth of the Hingakawa Women’s Coffee Cooperative. The Hingakawa Association, which means “Let’s Grow Coffee” is one half of the Abakundakawa-Rushashi Cooperative, which was formed in 2004, becoming the first women’s coffee farmer association of its kind in Rwanda. The other half of Abakundakawa Rushashi is the Dakundakawa Association, which translates to “We love Coffee”, also 100% run by women. Both coffee growing associations are located in the northern, mountainous regions of the Gakenke district, situated at high altitudes (1700-1900 meters elevation), and with coffee farms spread across five distinct zones. The two cooperatives include both Hutu and Tutsi women who have discovered that poverty is their true enemy and not each other.
This coffee from Hingakawa is the real-life representation of the sacrifice and resolve of the female cooperative members who were daring enough to plant seeds of hope on the very same Rwanda hilltops where many lost their lives in a violent civil war. Hingakawa, as the name suggests, is more of a chant than a mere statement. It is a resolution to fight against poverty rather than each other, and with this sentiment, they have been able to move forward and heal their community through cooperation and leadership.
Sweet Yellow - Daterra Estate
Medium body, good acidity, and intense sweetness with notes of nut and butter. Medium to medium dark roasts bring out spicy and intense dark cocoa notes that taste like an elegant, spicy chocolate bar.
Inzá Rio Páez
A pleasantly bittersweet coffee with mild fruit accents along with notes of molasses, caramel, raisin, tamarind, and a winey apple note.
Tarrazu Casa de Piedra
A thick-bodied coffee with an underpinning sweetness and subtle accents of fruit, savory nut tones, caramel, cocoa wheat berry, almond, and honey.
Organic Ramirez Estate Peaberry
Fuller bodied with low acidity and very complex semi-sweet darker tones; chocolate, tobacco earthiness, molasses and smoky.
Gerbicho Rogicha
Notes of jasmine pearl tea, rose hard candy, pink bubblegum, notes of satsuma orange, limeade, and black tea in finish.
Organic Huehuetenango ASOPCE
Notes of hazel and hickory nuts, caramel, and milk chocolate.
Teodosa Morena Parainema
Middle roasts brew up well rounded flavors that are caramel-sweet, creamy, and moderately bright. Profiles play off toffee and praline nut notes, herbal lemongrass tea, Dutch cocoa and woody spices.
Kirinyaga Kamwangi Peaberry
Tastes of rustic dates, dried plum, tart orange, baking spices, and aromatic wood.
Altura Chiapas/Oaxaca
A very chocolaty cup of coffee, fuller bodied with low acidity, with some nutty & herbal accents
Finca La Santa - Boquete
Aromas of sweet honey and chamomile with well-balanced and exotic flavors of pear and lemon notes along with a mild, bright acidity, and a smooth, medium body.
Carpenter Estates - Sigri- Kula Peaberry
A silky smooth coffee that is clean tasting, fuller bodied, and has a creamy mouthfeel. It is a lower acidity chocolaty cup with a sweet edge with some cool nutty and herbal/spice accents.
Organic Hingakawa Women's Co-Op FTO
This coffee is washed and dried in the Rwandan sun. It has bright acidity with notes of sweetness, raisin, and tropical fruit.
Kahayya Village
Expressive sweetness, with profiles of toasted brown sugar, honey, coffee cake, and sweetened condensed milk, as well as complex aroma of cinnamon and ginger powder, and lime-like acidic impression.
Raja Batak Peaberry - Lintong
A brisk acidity, heavy body, and sweet and clean with notes of pipe tobacco and cedar and a long, rich finish.
Robusta - Central Highlands
A heavy-bodied Robusta offering with a stout body and a balanced cup with a clean finish.
Mocca - Pearl of Tehama - Lot 83 Natural
A wonderful old world natural filled with hints of floral/citric, rustic-chocolate, spice and a pinch of fruitiness.