Lake Kivu / Congo - FTO
The climate and geography of Eastern Congo are a dream for growing coffee. However, to live in Congo can truly be a nightmare.
Lake Kivu comes to us from the over 5,600 members of the SOPACDI cooperative, on the shores of Lake Kivu. Most of these farmers have recently returned to their homes after being driven away by the rebel troops spilling over from Rwanda. Over twenty percent of the cooperative’s membership are women. Many are widows whose husbands died trying to smuggle their coffee into Rwanda while the Conogolese market was virtually non-existent. They live in small, remote villages in the mountainous highlands surrounding Lake Kivu. The cooperative is headquartered in the village of Minova, where they just completed construction on the first coffee washing-station in Congo in over forty years. We are proud to carry this coffee again for the second year.
Lake Kivu’s first sip springs forward with tones of tangerine and baker’s spice. As the cup cools, more round fruit flavors come forward. We see cherry with a soft botanical note that reminds us of barrel-aged gin. This coffee is very juicy, with a complex flavor profile that works together in a way much like a negroni. It is the perfect coffee to share in these warmer summer days.
Tasting Notes:
tangerine, baker's spice, barreled negroni
