Rugali from Sumo Coffee Roasters is a Rwandan coffee that brings juicy fruit, sweetness, and playfulness to your espresso. The flavor profile features pineapple, berries, apple, molasses, and clementines. It has a fruity sparkle, pleasant sweetness, and a rounder body that blends beautifully in espresso to create a full, juicy cup. If you like espresso that isn’t just about chocolate and nuts but still has plenty of body and sweetness, you’ll definitely enjoy this.
The coffee comes from Rwanda, from the Nyamasheke region in the west of the country. The Rugali processing station is located on the shores of Lake Kivu and is part of Muraho Trading. The station works with cherries from 1,150 local farmers, has 124 drying beds, five permanent employees, and expands its team to up to 180 seasonal workers during harvest. Rugali was established in 2016 and is one of the largest stations in the area. Muraho Trading was founded by brothers Karthick and Gaudam Anbalagan with the goal of showcasing the high quality and unique flavor profile of Rwandan specialty coffee. Rugali is their largest station, and since 2019 it has also included its own dry mill—a facility for dry processing and preparing coffee for export.
The variety is Red Bourbon, which grows here at an altitude of 1,500 to 1,800 meters above sea level. Processing is natural, meaning the cherries are dried whole, including the pulp. Only perfectly ripe cherries are accepted for processing; upon arrival, they are inspected and sorted again on sorting tables. It is precisely the natural method that helps bring out more fruity sweetness, a fuller body, and a richer aroma from the coffee.