Rwanda Mbizi Peaberry

700 women farmers joined together to form the Women Coffee Extension co-op and the Mbizi mill which is located on the Western side of Rwanda near The Democratic Republic of Congo. 

The co-op does a good job of looking out for each other, giving goats to the members from some of the proceeds, health care, child care, things like that. The co-op was formed in 2017. They are close to getting Rain Forest Alliance certification but don't have other certifications yet. 

The coffee is pleasant, although not striking. It's clean and slightly chocolatey, slight fruit, slightly black tea like, a little bit of citrus.  We roast it not quite into the 2nd cracks to best enjoy the sweetness and complexity of the coffee. Beacause it is a peaberry, the beans are dense and need a little extra heat compared to most other coffees. Peaberries like a lot of air flow and are especially well suited to air-roasters.  This bean makes a great espresso or espresso component when you take it 30 seconds into the 2nd cracks, but otherwise, it's not an ideal coffee for dark roasts.

The coffee came into the US in November 2022.