Coffee Tours in Rwanda

Coffee is one of Rwanda’s main cash crops and exports. The taste of Rwanda’s coffee is considered to have the highest quality in the world. This has increased the urge for adventure lovers planning their safaris to Rwanda to tailor their itineraries to coffee production centers and plantations. Rwandan coffee is 95% Arabica Varietal Bourbon, with a silky, creamy body, hints of lemon and orange blossom plus caramel in the aftertaste. This is because it is grown on wealthy volcanic soils.

Coffee growing in Rwanda was introduced by the missionaries in 1904 and it has become one of the most important agricultural products that helped to uplift the economy. Over 65% of the local community largely depends on coffee production which has also helped to improve people’s standards of living.

Coffee plantations are always green throughout the year with crimson red cherries ready for harvesting which is always done between February and May.  Coffee growing, processing, and production are run by cooperatives.

After gathering the coffee beans, they are transported to the washing stations for hand sorting, pulping, fermenting, and grading. They are then sun-dried on elevated screens and later taken for grinding.

Some of the places for coffee tours in Rwanda

Ingoboka

This a coffee collective center based close to Kayove as you travel between Gisenyi and Karongi. The Ingoboka collective operates several plantations and washing stations in the area including the clump of farms on Nyamirundi island.

Kinunu coffee 

This is the largest coffee washing station located 20 kilometres from Gisenyi providing stunning views of Lake Kivu. The station buys coffee beans from local farmers. It was started by a former Rwandan senator to provide jobs for members of the local community. it is an educational and interactive station where tourists learn about the different stages of coffee production. It is one of the best places that can be combined with a boat trip on Lake Kivu.

 KZ NOIR   is another prominent distributor of coffee from a variety of cooperatives and farms throughout the country. Visitors with a special interest always arrange visits to any of their washing stations with advance bookings. Kivu Noir has three main washing stations on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. Cyebumba, Nkore, and Rugamba. The other stations located south of  Kalongi are Cyivugiza and Cyiya, and close to  Kigali city is Buliza washing station.

 Question: Coffee in Kigali

Question Coffee is a specialty coffee café located in Gishushu, Kigali. This remarkable establishment offers travelers a cup to go, a sit-down cup, or a full tour of the coffee plantation and processing, known as crop-to-cup.

At this place, visitors get a detailed history of this company.   The coffee shop has a small coffee plantation at its premises. Guests come to learn all the processes through which coffee undergoes from planting to dining. In the tasting room, you learn how to make a perfect grind and have a simple taste of the already-processed coffee. By the end of the tour, you will live to remember the tasty and educative interaction.

Best time to conduct coffee tours in Rwanda

Coffee tours are best conducted during the dry seasons between March-May and September to November where one can fully participate in all the coffee production procedures from the garden to the cup. However, if you wish to have a taste of the coffee, you are free to visit the cafes at any time.

All in all, for you to fully immerse in the biodiversity of Rwanda, it is advisable to include a coffee tour in your itinerary for a satisfying and memorable experience.