D. R. Congo. Kisunga

Origin

• 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa

Tasting notes

Character

• Clean
  50
• Bright
  40

Producer: Various SmallholdersSmallholderA farmer growing coffee on a small family plot — often under two hectares. Most of the world's coffee is grown this way, typically pooled at cooperatives or washing stations. Origin: North Kivu Varietal: BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars. Altitude: 1500-1800 metres above sea level Process: WashedWashed processThe fruit is removed from the seed before drying, usually with fermentation and a water rinse. Tends to give clean, transparent cups where origin character shows clearly. Flavours: Orange, Chocolate, Biscuit, Prune About This Coffee Kisunga Coffee Washing StationWashing stationA central mill where many smallholder farmers deliver cherry for processing. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda the station name (e.g. Idido) often identifies the coffee. (CWS) is one of 9 washing stations belonging to Virunga Coffee Company, set up by Schluter (now Covoya) in 2012 to produce high quality coffees for the specialty market and increase premiums for the thousands of smallholder farmers in the region. The strategy for Virunga has been three-fold: 1) To increase production through good agronomic practice 2) to improve quality through education and strict guidelines for production and processing 3) to obtain internationally recognised certification in order to generate better revenue for farmers. Virunga has now trained over 11,000 famers in GAP (Good agricultural practices) and have partnered them in organic certification. They have 35 field officers (trained agronomists) working in the region and distribute over 3 million seedlings a year to farmers in Eastern DRC. The Region Founded in 2021, Kisunga was the latest washing station established by Virunga Coffee Company in Eastern D.R. Congo. Kisunga village is located in the Isale region of Nord-Kivu (North of Lake Kivu), on the edge of Virunga National Park, bordered by Uganda to the east. The region has excellent conditions for speciality arabica production with plentiful rainfall, high altitude and highly fertile volcanic soils. The region is also very pov- erty-stricken and has had a severe lack of infrastructure which has made high quality arabica both di - cult to produce and very challenging to export. Virunga Co ee Company has sought to overcome many of these problems through hands- on farmer education and investment in local infrastructure such as roads and bridges. This has allowed quality improvements every season and, in turn, higher premiums for farmers. The Process Ripe cherries are delivered to the wetmill for careful sorting and pulping, be