This is an rare opportunity to roast coffee from the Congo. Lake Kivu is also bordered by Rwanda and Burundi, and this region produces some of my favorite African coffees. Relief from the civil unrest has allowed coffee farmers to return to their farms in the Congo, where they are cultivating Bourbon type plants, and the beans are wet-processed. Note: the type of processing affects the flavor regardless of the bean variety:
Wet: more common in the USA, leading to darker/chocolate profiles. Think Central American coffees.
Dry: brings out more brightness and fruit profiles. Think Ethiopian coffee.
Honey: a different fermentation process (no honey is actually involved) yielding more complex flavors. Look forward to a honey processed bean from Burundi if I can get some!
Some tasting notes from Sweet Maria’s for this Congolese coffee:
“…The wet aromatics are very complex, paring molasses and brown sugar with spiced hints of clove, and orange. The clove note comes through pretty strong in the brew too… There’s some bittering bite behind it like clove oil, which helps bring out some bittering citrus rind notes as well….The sweetness is robust, and clean, with trace elements of herbal complexity…with smokey bittersweetness akin to roasted cacao nibs, and an accent of plum juice. “
