KALILA KANTENGWA from the Dutch roastery Manhattan Coffee Roasters is a naturally processed coffee from Rwanda that the roastery has included in its “World Class” category. The flavor profile is so complex that Manhattan has, as a special exception, expanded its usual list of flavor notes from three to four. In the cup, you’ll find granadilla—a sweeter variety of passion fruit— golden syrup, pomelo, and rose hips.
Behind this coffee is Kalila Kantengwa, CEO of Kivubelt Coffee Ltd, a company founded in 2011 by Rwandan Furaha Umwizeye Teuscher after she returned from studying economics in Switzerland with the goal of contributing to her homeland’s society and economy. The company owns over 45 hectares of coffee plantations in the Nyamasheke region on the shores of Lake Kivu, divided into three estates: Jarama, Kamajumba, and Nyaruzina. This coffee comes directly from the Jarama estate, the largest of the three, which lies at an elevation of 1,650 to 1,900 meters above sea level. The high altitude, the humid equatorial mist from Lake Kivu, and the rich volcanic soil from the Virunga volcanoes create an exceptional terroir for the Red Bourbon variety. This lot took second place in the most recent edition of the Best of Rwanda competition.
The coffee underwent natural processing, in which the cherries are dried whole, including the skin and pulp. It is precisely this process that gives the cup its layered fruity character, liveliness, and expressiveness. The Red Bourbon variety has a naturally sweet and fruity profile, which the natural processing further enhances. Granadilla, golden syrup, pomelo, and rose hips come together in the cup to form a complex yet well-balanced whole.
- Producer: Kalila Kantengwa
- Farm: Kivubelt Coffee, Jarama Estate
- Elevation: 1,800 m above sea level
- Soil type: Volcanic
- Awards: 2nd place in Best of Rwanda