So I took this camera to Rwanda for the Cup of Opulence … Excellence …2010, competition and, crazy me, I ended up with a cool 600 photos.
I pared it down to 265 “must-see” images and a few of them actually have something to do with coffee! While some airline snafus made the travel a bit harsh, and the food in East RwandaA Bourbon cultivar variant from Rwanda and Burundi. Bourbon coffees are named for the island in the India Ocean where French colonists grew it. Some history from the... was, ack, disturbing, it was a great trip.
The jury was a great international blend, the coffees were very nice, and my visits to washing stations after the event were very fruitful.
I hope you enjoy the images and that the captions impart a little information about how beautiful Rwanda truly is, how incredibly kind the people are, and how sweet the coffees can be. -Tom
The Paul Songer Acid Test – Citric, Fruit Acids (Citric 80 plus 10 Malic and 10 quinic, a very pleasant blend), Fruit acids + Phoshoric (very strong and sour), and the later Fruit Acids + Phosphoric + 5 sucrose which mellows the tart intensity and makes it quite pleasing Rwanda 
Kigali fashion shop 5 – Human Lover Boutique – my favorite name. Rwanda 
Kigali fashion shop 7 – Zara knows fashion. Rwanda Josie, Bufcoffee – in charge of the station. You see this in some places, but for example in Kenya it is a bit rare. Rwanda Washing and grading channel after fermentation – Again, very nice, long washing channels and grading channels to clean the mucilage off the coffee after fermentation. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Josie and Samuel. – Josie is the Nyarusiza Washing Station manager. Bufcoffee has 2 washing stations. Nyarusiza and Remera. I think Nyarusiza is the larger of the 2. Bufcoffee uses 1 fermetation stage, 12-14 hours, with a 12 hour soak in clean water afterward. The coffee is floated right at first, then between fermentation and soaking in the channel. Drying is initially in the shade, moving to the raised beds in the sun. Rwanda 
End of Production at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza – Unlike Musasa, which still had some coffee in production, Bufcoffee is pretty well done with the crop. Here some small batch odds and ends. Harvest at Bufcoffee is April to July with May being peak. Rwanda Bufcoffee Nyarusiza washing station – A GPS tagged photo of the receiving tanks for cherry at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Rwanda School Sensation at Nyarusiza – We drove right through the grounds of a school to get to the mill, and the kids were excited to see a Mizonge (rich foreigner). Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Rwanda Group effort – Communal work, common in Rwanda. Near Butare Rwanda 
With Leticia from Musasa… – One of the national judges on the final jury, Leticia, was from Musasa, and we were both very happy when they won 2nd place and 7th place. Rwanda 
Sharing the joy. – The best part of taking portraits is sharing them. Rwanda Kigali fashion shop 7 – Zara knows fashion. Rwanda Maria, Ben and Thompson in our Bufcoffee sweaters! Thank You! – Back in Oakland when I arrived, we took a family photo in the lovely Bufcoffee sweaters that Samuel gifted us. Thanks Samuel – Thanks Bufcoffee! Rwanda 
Kigali fashion shop 6 – If you really want to enjoy, try Top Enjoy. Rwanda Kigali fashion shop 5 – Human Lover Boutique – my favorite name. Rwanda Kigali fashion shop 4 – Islamic dress, on fashion row in Kigali Rwanda 
Kigali fashion shop 3 – Everyone can dream Rwanda 
Kigali fashion shop 2 – Kigali commercial paintings. Spring styles arriving! Rwanda Kigali fashion shop 1 – Back in Kigali, I just love the commercial paintings here. Rwanda Epiphanie, Thompson and Samuel – Okay, a group picture. I remember Epiphanie well from her repeated visits to the odium in the first 2008 Rwanda Cup of Excellence. They won 4 or 5 awards. But this 2010 event wasn’s so kind to them, and only 1 made the auction. Rwanda 
Meeting Epiphanie and Samuel, Bufcoffee – We had lunch at the Ibis in Butare, and I was happy to meet Samuel’s mother. Epiphanie. Butare town, Rwanda Rwanda Gift shop in Butare, always thinking of the Canadians – Butare town, Rwanda Rwanda Just some basic worldwide concern. – An Irish charity. I thought it was funny, in a way. Butare town, Rwanda Rwanda Butare – I was here 2 years ago. Butare town seemed a lot bigger and a lot busier. This is the main strip. Rwanda Smashup – Crash and burn. Another truck accident, Rwanda. Rwanda Home made scoots – Wooden home made scooters with wooden wheels. Like the old coffee bikes used to haul the bags of cherry to the washing stations. Nyarusiza, Rwanda Rwanda Older Bourbon coffee trees, Bufcoffee Nyarusiza – In contrast to the young BM Bourbon trees, most everything in the area are at least 20-30 years old. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Nyarusiza Town – Approaching the Bufcoffee mill in Nyarusiza town, a sign reminding the men not to be a bad alcoholic dad! Rwanda Matches – In Rwanda, it’s okay, kids can play with matches… Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Mother insisted – Mom wanted the young ones to get a picture. incredible faces! Rwanda Posers – Some serious attitude on the way back to the mill from the coffee farm. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda The old farmer at Bufcoffee known as MuyandeKwe – The old farmer at Bufcoffee whose name I dutifully wrote down as MuyandeKwe although I seem to get spelling of Kenya-Rwandan quite wrong quite often. Sorry. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Bufcoffee Jaya! – Everyone, cheer for Bufcoffee. I tried to pep them up a bit. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Innocenti, who is basically the agronomist at Nyarusiza – The young BM type bourbon trees. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Bufcoffee’s own farm – Traditional mud houses with tile roof. I was told they can last 50 years, easily. Bufcoffee , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda View from a far of Bufcoffee Washing station – A view of the washing station from across the way at the coffee plot. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Bufcoffee BM type Bourbon Varietal – The Bufcoffee plot is young, all planted at once. it is a type of Bourbon known as BM. Bufcoffee , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Rust fungus – Rust fungus (Roya) is an issue here even in a very dry setting. It surprised me. Bufcoffee , Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Kids of Buf – We hiked up a small farm owned by Bufcoffee (most coffee is owned by the small farmers, not the mill). Of course the kids along the way wanted a photo. Rwanda Buf Coffee – Spelled out, just so you know. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. I used to always see it written as Bufcafe, but I guess they are changing with the times, as English is replacing French in Rwanda schools to some degree. Rwanda Clean water everywhere – I am impressed with all the great services you see in rural Rwanda – clean water, elecricity, good schools. It’s really an amazing country. Rwanda Local terrain, Nyarusiza – A view of the rather dry terrain around Bufcoffee mill. When the rains come, it will green up quite a lot. Rwanda Josie, Bufcoffee – I admit it, I was impressed to see a woman in charge of the station. You see this in some places, but for example in Kenya it is a bit rare. Rwanda Shaded drying tables at Bufcoffee – Again, the excellent practice of sorting parchment, and doing it under shade to slowly initialize the drying of the parchment coffee – much better than shocking it by putting it directly into the hot sun. Rwanda Coffee Bike and Bufcoffee – Coffee bikes are everywhere. I was never quite clear what this lovely lady did at Bufcoffee, but maybe she just hangs out. Since the crop is pretty much over, there is not much happening at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Rwanda Soaking tanks at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza – Soaking tanks are used to hold coffee, and to make sure every small bit of mucilage is removed from the coffee. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Washing and grading channel after fermentation – Again, very nice, long washing channels and grading channels to clean the mucilage off the coffee after fermentation. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda Rwanda Josie and Samuel. – Josie is the Nyarusiza Washing Station manager. Bufcoffee has 2 washing stations. Nyarusiza and Remera. I think Nyarusiza is the larger of the 2. Bufcoffee uses 1 fermetation stage, 12-14 hours, with a 12 hour soak in clean water afterward. The coffee is floated right at first, then between fermentation and soaking in the channel. Drying is initially in the shade, moving to the raised beds in the sun. Rwanda Kenya disc pulper, Bufcoffee – A traditional pulper, for typical wet-processing, at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Rwanda Parchment coffee at Bufcoffee – The best looking parchment at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Bufcoffee also has a smalldry mill in Kalambi, which they will be improving and also building a cupping lab. Rwanda End of Production at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza – Unlike Musasa, which still had some coffee in production, Bufcoffee is pretty well done with the crop. Here some small batch odds and ends. Harvest at Bufcoffee is April to July with May being peak. Rwanda Samuel and the Interns – Samuel was my kind guide. He is the son of Epiphanie, who runs Bufcoffee, which is a kind of private cooperative. We had 2 interns from the local college travelling with us, really bright guys. Rwanda Mountain water source for Bufcoffee – All the water used by the mill is from the mountains adjacent the mill. Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Rwanda Bufcoffee Nyarusiza washing station – A GPS tagged photo of the receiving tanks for cherry at Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Rwanda School Sensation at Nyarusiza – We drove right through the grounds of a school to get to the mill, and the kids were excited to see a Mizonge (rich foreigner). Bufcoffee Nyarusiza Washing Station. Southwest Rwanda. Rwanda Group effort – Communal work, common in Rwanda. Near Butare Rwanda Mocca Coffee – They serve Mocca coffee! Mocca comes from Rwanda it seems. Spread office, Butare Rwanda SPREAD worm compost – Different grades of worm compost and a bucket of tasty worm tea too. Spread office in Butare Rwanda Butare, next day, worm compost – Next day was Bufcoffee day – I headed out from Kigali to Butare and checked out the Spread office in Butare. Here, vermiculture. Rwanda 
Nomatter where you are from, everyone likes to pay less. – And that’s why you need a payless shop, Rwanda and beyond. Rwanda Sugar cane in the river low lands – Sugar cane is also an important export for Rwanda, along with coffee, tea and Manioc. Rwanda Coffee and the Thousand Hills – A view from the 2000 meter ridge where Musasa is, showing again why they call it the Land of a Thousand Hills. Rwanda Thompson and Mathias – They presented me with a really neat basket filled with tree tomato fruits. Very kind. Rwanda Our presidents and their wives – In the offices, a favorite poster showing the reverence for African leaders. I really liked the sports photos below. (Although the image of Kabila in the French soccer outfit looks really really photoshopped, eh?) Rwanda Musasa farmers look at Sweet Maria’s web site – Another image of my presentation to the Musasa managers and staff of how their coffee is sold by Sweet Maria’s in the US. Rwanda Regional samples of Musasa lots. – Musasa has 3 main regions the coffee comes from. The regions are Mblima + Coko, Ruli and Nkara. The #2 lot came from Mblima/Coko, and the #8 Coe lot came from Nkara. All samples are kept separate. Rwanda Musasa coffee warehouse – Lots of coffee are “rested” in the Musasa warehouse after they are dried on the raised beds outside. I believe from cherry to dry parchment is 18-20 days, and then resting in the warehouse is 30 days. Rwanda Musasa Pride – Mural at Musasa coffee warehouse. Rwanda Drying beds at Musasa – They have covering reay at hand in case the sun becomes too intense in the middle of the day, or an unexpected thunderstorm. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Day Lot Separation, Musasa – The Day Lot: A simple scrap of paper with ball point pen marks on it: The difference between standard coffee grades and really exceptional coffees can depend on something so simple. A “day lot” is simply that, one day’s worth of processing at the coffee mill. The name for a mill in Rwanda, where coffee fruit is brought in by the farmers and processed, is called a Washing Station. We have been buying from 3 washing stations in recent years. Musasa is where the photo of the day lot tag was taken, on my trip to the Rwanda Cup of Excellence last year. On this side is Samuel who manages the Bufcafe stations at Remera and Nyarusiza. Doewn the road from Musasa we find Rushashi, were we get the Womens Cooperative coffee, Duhingekawa. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Sorting the dry parchment – As the parchment dries, they come back through and sort out split or deformed parchment seeds – excellent! Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Closer view of Defects removed from drying parchment – Here you can see what they are removing – mostly split parchment. That is not truly a defect at all, but ideally parchment is not split because it protects the green seed inside and provides a perfect little “micro-environment” for the drying seed. Rwanda Defects removed from drying parchment – As the parchment dries, they come back through and sort out split or deformed parchment seeds – excellent! Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Perfect parchment coffee – The parchment coffee at Musasa is really beautiful and the initial drying under shade is ideal to avoid shocking the coffee, and splitting the parchment open Rwanda Defects from wet parchment – A detail of the defects being removed from the wet parchment. When wet, certain problem seeds can be found, which are not so apparent to the eye when dried just a few hours. Rwanda Insect Damage – The dreaded “Potato Taste” is a problem for Rwanda coffee. It is caused by damage to the coffee bean, often by the Antestia bug that drills into it. Then a bacteria that is omnipresent in the area invades. The coffee in reacting to the bacteria infection produces compounds that give the very off potato taste. Rwanda Insect Damage, closer – Closer image of Antestia damage to the coffee- These can be caught screened out by the picker, by pre-sorting the cherry, by floating the cherry in water before hulling, or in the washing/grading channels, or by hand selecting the wet parchment coffee after fermentation. It is also said that color sorting under infrared light can find potato defect. Rwanda Sorting the wet parchment coffee – Something rarely seen in other origin countries – sorting the wet parchment after it is fermented and washed. it’s another chance to remove under ripe green coffee seeds and also insect damaged coffee that can result in Potato taste. Rwanda Washing Channel – Washing channels after fermentation as well. The channels are very long, which is also a great design. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Grading/Floating channels before fermentation – This extra step is a great way to remove defects that float and further improve quality. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Toto Kenya Pulper – Toto? Another view of the pulper type used often in Rwanda for traditional fermented coffee. Other mills are starting to use forced demucilage machines from Penagos and Pinhalense. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Pulpers and channels – Pulpers are standard type used in East Africa. Because of the cool conditions at high altitude (2000 meters is very high for a washing station) Musasa can have coffee in the fermentation tanks up to 18 hours. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda More … Fruit of the coffee tree – 2000m Bourbon coffee in Rwanda at musasa mill Rwanda Coffee tree at Musasa – Since there were coffee farms around Musasa mill, which is itself on a ridge at 2000 meters, I took photos of 2000m Bourbon coffee in Rwanda. Wow – that is very high grown Rwanda Isaac Nsanramahoro, manager of Musasa washing station – Isaac, manager of the Musasa washing station. Oops, Blinky Rwanda Mathias Ntuyemumhwa, President of the Musasa Coop – Musasa had some leadership problems in the middle of last years harvest and Mathias came in as the new President. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Samuel at the Receiving tanks – Receiving tanks to separate and float coffee cherry coming in from different areas. Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Shaded tables to sort incoming cherry – Before the coffee even gets into the wet mill, it is pre-sorted as whole cherry. Rwanda Classic Phoenix bike- nice tape job. – Phoenix bike that you see all over. From India? Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Intro to Musasa – Sign for Musasa Washing Station, Western Province, Rwanda. Musasa is an 1800 member cooperative, at 2000 meters altitude. Rwanda Coffee Bike Fanboy TShirt, and a real Coffee Bike. – I happen to be wearing my coffee bike t shirt from the now rather defunct Project Rwanda, and there was a coffee bike! Rwanda Flip Flop Shop – Best Tshirt of the trip: Near Musasa, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda View near Musasa – The Thousand Hills name for Rwanda starts to make sense. Near Musasa, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Breakdown point on way to Musasa – This marks the place where the clutch pretty much konked out completely on the Toyota Land Cruiser Rwanda 
In your face – I broke out the flash. That was a hit. Near Musasa, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Gang – Little by little they gained some trust, then all wanted their photos taken. En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Modesty – Hauling the greens to market. Near Musasa, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Bemusal – A nice face – typical Rwanda friendliness and openness. Near Musasa, Western Province, Rwanda Rwanda Kids at the breakdown – We had a good old time taking pictures of the local kids while we tried to figure out what we were going to do to get to Musasa. Rwanda Lonely cabbage worker – Rwanda is a patchwork of crops, every square meter is used, even small Eucalyptus forests are all “owned” communally and harvested by the local people. Of course there are a few national parks, but no real open space land. Rwanda Minimal – House at the place we broke down. Slowlu a small group of kids came around and … Rwanda It’s Rushashi town – Another coffee we buy regularily, but we did not have time to stop at their washing station on this day, Rushashi. En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Muhondo Washing Station, on way to Musasa – En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Underlayments around coffee – This photo shows rather leafless coffee waiting for the rainy season as well a the unique way they lay a lot of dried organic material around the coffee in Rwanda to prevent evaporation. Rwanda Explaining how we sell Musasa coffee. – One of the most rewarding things about visiting Musasa was to bring the “coffee cycle” to full circle; To show the farmers the Sweet Maria’s site, the Rwanda page, and the Musasa coffee description. I wanted to underscore that their coffee is identified by region, by cooperative name, by lot. And that the marketing of their coffee was as transparent as I can possibly make it. I read the cup descriptors and showed them the flavor wheel that elucidates the flavors we found in that lot of coffee. And I told them that next year, intead of the rather generic Rwanda Coffee Bike photo I had used, we would have specific images of Musasa farmers and washing station workers. The coop president seemed interested and pretty well pleased, I think. Rwanda La’ Difference, Viva? – Near Rushahi town, a nice sign. En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Raise a pick you if you like to, Ho! – Working the land, rural Rwanda. By the way, about this point the clutch in our car started slipping hinting at an impending breakdown up the road Rwanda Muyongwe is near – Another nice washing station, Muyongwe, is not far from Rushahi and Musasa Rwanda Gorilla Butts – En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda. Gorilla tourism is big in Gisenyi area and then across the border in Goma, Congo. Rwanda Huye! Divine water of Rwanda – Water from the hands of God. En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Lollypops of Rwanda – Super new wave graphics, Kigali Rwanda Rwanda One love is everywhere – Rwanda Aderbare: The roaster for CoE Rwanda 2010 – We met one of the 2 roasters who did all the CoE lots (on a Probatino. They really did a great job… Rwanda Roasting at Rwashosco – We stopped at the Rwashosco office and roasting facility near the Coffee Business Center. Nice Probat! Rwanda Their product… – Cafe de Maraba is the brand they sell from the coffee roasted at Rwashosco. Rwanda The best toilets are Roto Toilets – Another mysterious invention. Not sure what makes a PortaPotty into a Roto Toilet. En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda For the whole family (but not the adults?) – Mixed messages – tea for all? En route to Musasa from Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda The boss – Nice to ladies as bosses, but she had a wicked long pointy coffee trier in her hand. I wouldn’t mess with her. Kigali Rwanda Rwanda The big picture – Another view of the CBC / OCIR dry mill shows how many people are hand sorting at this time of year. Kigali Rwanda Rwanda A trip to OCIR dry mill, Coffee Business Center – Next we stopped to see coffee being prepared for export at the CBC coffee dry mill in Kigali. It was quite a large scale sorting facility, all done static (not coffee on conveyors.) Rwanda Market grade coffee, with insect damage – A closer shot of insect damage in one of the better prepared coffees I saw at the CBC mill. Rwanda Hills of beans – They were “blending” various lots to make them more uniform, and the technique was to cut open a jute bag, dump the coffee our gradually while running around in a circle around the hill of beans, mixing it with their feet while they did it. Low tech or what? Rwanda Yikes! – This was just end of the harvest low-grade coffee being prepared here. A lot of defects and damage can be seen. Rwanda Next day, Jean-Claude at SPREAD offices. – Next days was Musasa day, which also included a quick visit to the SPREAD office. Jean-Claude runs SPREAD after Tim Schilling moved to France Rwanda John shows Location of Narumera – Rwanda Winning farmers at spread from Narumera – Two emplyees at Spread bought a coffee washing station and had the great fortune of doing well in CoE, top 10. Rwanda I am too, buddy – In It 2 Win It. What more can you say. Rwanda Real Life Tim Schilling – Effusive, Tim, as always, so much energy. Rwanda Tim and Paul Kagame, perennial president – Tim started the PEARL project and then later the Spread project to provide agriculural support to coffee farmers in Rwanda, increase the value of the coffee by incfreasing the quality. Everyone knows Tim in Rwanda. Rwanda Lindsay Bolger Big Head – Lindsay, star cupper of a little place called Green Mountain Coffee, has here immense head draped on the wall at SPREAD office. Rwanda Fog and rain on the road home – Another wave of rain came on our night time drive home, along with some amazingly thick fog. A few drivers on the road were kinda freaking out, ie. driving down the center line at 5 mph to avoid going over the edge … but of course risking a head on encounter. Rwanda A look of amusement or mistrust? – I think it was amusement. I have that effect on kids… Nyamwenda Washing Station, by Lake Kivu, Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda Rwanda Sister and baby sitter – At the Nyamwenda Washing Station, by Lake Kivu, Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda Rwanda Girls and Drying Beds – We were a bit of an attraction at the washing station, and had a few admirerers … Rwanda Santa visits Rwanda! – No, it’s Karlheinz from Berlin. Nyamwenda Washing Station, Coopac Rwanda Soaking tanks at Nyamwenda Washing Station, Coopac – Fermentation tanks and holding tanks at Nyamwenda Washing Station, Coopac. Coopac uses a Burundi style 2 stage fermentation, the fist one aerobic (dry) and the second anaerobic (underwater). Then the coffee is soaked in clean water 12 hours and delivered for wet parchment sorting, and eventually sun drying on raised beds. Rwanda Obama-esque – Obama, still very popular in Rwanda. You see a lot of great Obama t shirts here. Rwanda Pulper at Nyamwenda Washing Station, Coopac – Standard 3 disc Kenya type pulper and grader. Rwanda Mixedness – An assortment of ripeness levels, kinda out of season, at the washing station Nyamwenda Rwanda Cherry floating for small lots – Part of their small lot quality program is floating very small batches of coffee, which helps to remove some defects, the insect-damaged coffee in particular. The dreaded “Potato Taste” is a problem for Rwanda coffee. It is caused by damage to the coffee bean, often by the Antestia bug that drills into it. Then a bacteria that is omnipresent in the area invades. The coffee in reacting to the bacteria infection produces compounds that give the very off potato taste. Rwanda Abdul gives me a heart attack – There were two water holding tanks, one for river water used to transport the coffee, the other with spirng water for washing the coffee. There was a good 30 foot drop where Abdul was standing. Rwanda Ladies of Nyamwenda – Women who work sorting the coffee and harvesting, as part of the Coopac cooperative. Rwanda Old Bourbons around Nyamwenda – Typical rangey Bourbon trees planted around the washing station Rwanda Dao, the manager of Nyamwenda Washing Station, Coopac – Dao was there to great us, very unassuming guy, posed here with the plaque commemorating the mill opening, with Paul Kigame in attendance. Rwanda Nyamwenda Washing Station, Coopac – The Nyamwenda washing station that produced the winning coffee. It is on the shores of the Lake Kivu so they can send and receive coffee by water, or by a road as well. Rwanda Landing – Welcoming committee of one bird, type unknown. Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Rwanda Safe harbor – We pulled into the bay where the Nyamwenda washing station was, and the water was a beautiful emerald color, and calm. Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Rwanda Back on the SS Minnow – So we boarded the boat, headed roughly north into the weather, to see the washing station. Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Rwanda Fungal Attack – Fungus is an issue around the lake, and other parts of Rwanda too . This, leaf rust, called La Roya in Colombia and other areas of Latin America Rwanda Shamefulness – It was also there, we just had to add a little something with a Sharpie. Fabien is going to go off when he sees this! Whoever the tagger Fabien is… Rwanda Ay Caray! – Goat butts. It was there, all I did was take the photo. Don’t blame me. Rwanda Rural Aesthetics – Mud brick home, home-made chairs, just a nice image. Rwanda Another image of Bourbon, Gishamwana Island – Orange bourbon, pink bourbon, you tell me. Gishamwana Island, Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Rwanda Orange Bourbon, Gishamwana Island – Yes, it is orange bourbon. Look, it’s orange. That means it will taste like oranges as well. Rwanda Gilligan’s shack at Gishamwana – The caretaker on the island had rabbits in cages, the goats, and chickens too. Gishamwana Island, Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Rwanda Flowerings – Nice local flowers on the coffee idland, Lake Kivu, Northwest Rwanda Rwanda Nice views at Gishamwana – Some speciment trees, bamboo plantings, a path, just pretty, even in the rainy weather. Rwanda Goats Go Wild! – We thought of trying to fake a photo where it looked like they were eating coffee, AKA the Kaldi’s goats myth. But clearly they are not that interested in the coffee. So much for Kaldi. Rwanda More goatyness – Who me? Can’t resist a good Goat photo. Gishamwana Island, Gisenyi area, Northwest Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Rwanda Parchment coffee drying in shade – Like other parts of Rwanda, coffee is initially dried in the shade after sorting, then taken out to the sun. They process a little coffee on the island, but mostly they transfer cherry to other Coopac washing stations Rwanda Bamboozled – Always must take photos of different bamboo types, since my yard is planted with a bout 10 types. This looks a bit like Robert Young type, if memory serves me right. Rwanda A mix of not-ripes – A detail photo of the early crop for next year, Gisenyi along the lake ripens a bit earlier than other high altitude areas of Rwanda. Rwanda Boat at Gishamwana Island coffee farm – The island is not much above lake level, just a 25 meter hill or so. But even that means it approaches 1500 meters. On the steeper slopes around Lake Kivu the altitude can get much higher than this Rwanda New plantings of Bourbon – They were replacing older trees with new Bourbon plantings, which had a more healthy appearance. Rwanda Gishamwana Island, Coffee Farm – A mix of mostly green cherry and a few ripes. This is the new crop that would be harvested in March-April- roughly speaking. Rwanda Coffee on the island – It’s very odd to see coffee planted down to the water line. Trees are quite leafless due to the fact that the dry season was just ending with the rain we were caught up in. Rwanda So I could spell Gishamwana – A picture so I could get the spelling right. The winning lot was labeled as Coopac Mushonyi but Abdul says it was grown here, then processed at the Nyamwenda washing station we went to next. Rwanda Gishamwana Island, Coffee Farm – It was about an hour in the boat to Gishamwana Island. The lake is at 1468 meters, so even coffee grown at lake level is high grown. Rwanda A “three hour tour” – We saw the dark skies and knew what was coming. The boat was covered with plastic tarps which worked, sort of. Rwanda Boat to “coffee island”in lake kivu – So we hired a boat to get to the island on the lake where the winning coffee was grown – Gilligan’s Island “three hour tour” theme song was running through my head, especially seeing all the water seeping through the floorboards. We had about 6 of the CoE jury members along. Rwanda Karlheinz partied too much – No, not really. But he did pass out awfully quick. That was before the storm hit. Rwanda Sugar Cane on Kivu – Kivu is filled with local fishing and transport boats – this hauling sugar cane which is widely grown in wetter areas, along rivers and such, of Rwanda. Rwanda Rocks. Kivu. 2 – The danger in Kale Kivu is buildups of methane gas that could explosively decompress, especially of there was a seismic event, Rwanda actually taps the methane for fuel now, and other neighboring countries like Congo would like to do so. Rwanda Thompson Owen and Abdul Ndayisenga. Bro-Down – A nice time to take some pictures by the Lake. Everyone does it. Rwanda Rocks of Lake Kivu – Kivu has an interesting volcanic history. I would wikipedia it right now, but I don’t have an internet connection. So my IQ goes down 10 points. Rwanda Paradis in Gisenyi – The place to stay in Gisenyi. Right on Lake Kivu, good food, beautiful little cabanas, and they even a little island in the lake you can go to … Fantasy Island ? Rwanda Ordinary Triage Coffee – Every mill produces good coffee and bad. Triage coffee is the name for low grade stuff that the screeners and denisty sorters reject. It all finds a home Rwanda Coopac Front Gate, Gisenyi – A GPS tag image of the front gate at Coopac warehouse and mill in Gisenyi. Coopac is unique because they dry mill their own coffees Rwanda Isiah: Cupper at the Coopac Mill in Gisenyi – Between Abdul and Isiah, the cuppers at Coopac, they deserve some of the kudos for Coopac doing so well in CoE – it’s the cuppers that determine what lots to enter, and which will do well. Rwanda Low grade end-of-harvest coffee at Coopac Mill – Rwanda Ouch. Accident – Looks like a Coopac driver had a little problem. Not sure how this ended – didn’t want to ask. Rwanda Coopac Crew – Thre crew at Coopac. Maybe the SM crew should have jumpsuits too! Gisenyi, Rwanda Rwanda No 1 Africa Huller – They aren’t dumb – with a name like that they know ti will sell. This is a John Gordon, originally from the UK, a great coffee huller. Gisenyi, Rwanda Rwanda Rocks – Rocks and other heavy foreign matterial removed from the incoming green coffee as it is milled out of its parchment skin. Thankfully. Those are grinder killers. Gisenyi, Rwanda Rwanda Ouch, Inappropriate music – In the car, and on my ipod random, this song comes up from Swedish metal band WOLF. Kind of bizarre cultural moment there…. Rwanda Breast Mountain – Abdul went on about this mountain shaped like a breast. I told him I understood. But he kept explaining it until everyone was clear … this mountain is shaped like a breast. period. Rwanda The real Tea of Rwanda – So coffee is called the Tea of Rwanda so I can’t even think what they might call tea. Real tea? Rwanda Toy – Twisted wire and cloth. I don’t think I saw any horses in Rwanda – so I guess it is imported. Rwanda Motor Bike – Actually, after taking the picture, I bought this to take hope to ben. It is wire, cardboard and celophane. The cardboard is from a box of Bic pens. Rwanda A blanket of coffee trees – Typical coffee tree plantings, light shade or no shade…On the way to Gisenyi Rwanda Thumbs Up! – Okay, this is my favorite sign of the whole trip. really. On the way to Gisenyi Rwanda Swans of Rwanda – Fanciful statue on the way to Gisenyi Rwanda Neckin’ – Making out. Impalas? I don’t know. on the way to Gisenyi Rwanda First Food, Heavy Break Fast – Heavy food for breakfast does not sound ideal to me, but … Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Yahoo in the transportation business. – Yahoo and Google names are used all over. Very amusing. Well, a little bit so. Rwanda Yes, that is a sofa. – Yes, that is a SOFA. Near the COOPAC office in Kigali Rwanda Syntheic wood kitchens of Kigali – Detail of my favorite sign ever, well sort of. Near the COOPAC office in Kigali Rwanda The basics. Plus Red Bull – Near the COOPAC office in Kigali – all the good stuff to eat. Rwanda Abdul Ndayisenga at Coopac office in Kigali – Next day was Coopac day. It was a LONG drive to Gisenyi and back – most people take at least a couple days, better to relax in Gisenyi for a few days. But Abdul was willing to do it in a day, and so were we. Rwanda Thompson is so excited. Bjornar is so not excited. Photo was by marilyn eng. – Look Mom – you nerver thought I would get anywhere … Rwanda Mathias of Musasa – Does he look excited? He’s just a very low key dude. Actually he is a pastor by profession. Rwanda Gilbert of Rwashosco and Musasa guys; Isaac and Mathias – Gilbert Gitale manages Rwashosco, which markets coffee for 10 different cooperative and private farms. Here with Musasa winners. Rwanda 
Winning coffees, Rwanda COE 2010 – List of winning coffees for Rwanda Cup of Excellence 2010. Snapped with my point and shoot camera, as clear as I could get it. 22 coffees made the auction with scores of 84+ and 2 were awarded 90+ scores: Coopac Mushonyi and Dukundekawa Musasa. Rwanda Coopac competes with MIG – Coopac competed with MIG for the Coffee Arrangement Award. Tres artistic. Rwanda Winning trophy, Coopac booth at Kigali – This is what you get for winning #1 in Cup of Excellence. That and hopefully a big fat check after the auction. Rwanda Bufcoffee booth at coffee trade show, Kigali Rwanda – Getting to visit Bufcoffee was important this trip. We offer their coffee by the name of the washing station: Nyarusiza. I went there on Tuesday. Rwanda MIG, Coffee, Dammit! – MIG is a coop group with several washing stations. The MIG Buremera has some nice coffees. They arranged some coffee cherries to spell MIG – cute. Rwanda Coopac Mushonyi Gisenyi, #1 – Emmanuel from Coopac receives the top award … we went to the farm the next day. The guy in the loud shirt had worked with Coopac for quite a few years in development. Not sure of his name though. Rwanda 
Very excited about Musasa getting #2 place – Terrible picture, but that is Isaac and Mathias of Musasa getting their 2nd place award. We went there in 2 days. Rwanda CoE Awards Ceremony. The Rwanda Coffee Army. – And its off the to the Cup of Excellence award ceremony, where everyone dresses exactly the same. Coffee Army. And we also sang Rwanda boot came songs for a good half hour as well. Rwanda 
Traditional African dance in a convenient hotel setting. – Something dissonant about this culture clash. Milles Collines hotel in Kigali. Rwanda 
Not a great look, but a Nice look – Saloon, salon, you know, hair. On the way from Rwamagana to Kigali Rwanda Arm wrestling the wizard. Dennis and Thompson – I think Jason Long took this photo. I like the complete looks of horror in the background. I was feeling it too. Rwanda 
Impossible zippers – Rwanda fashion statement. You can’t deny it. Shocking. Rwanda Said, Spread Driver – Said. Saidi. Sayid. He works for the agriculture development organization SPREAD – very funny guy, great shirt. Rwanda 4 truck accident between Kayonza and Kigali – Opened up like a tin can. Ouch. Near Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda Kids at the cupping room, Kayonza – Kayonza gang signs. We attracted a crowd near the cupping room, local excitement for the kids, who enjoyed aping for the cameras. Rwanda 
Ladies of the CoE. Rwanda 2010 – National jury with Susie Spindler. Very sweet photo. Rwanda The National Jury, Rwanda 2010 – Alex was the main OCIR coordinator and Pascal did a great job as the main guy behind the cupping procedures. Rwanda BK and Thompson and BK – BK Kim from Coffee Libre in South Korea. The best coffee t shirt ever is from Coffee Libre. So what does Libre mean in Korean? And why not Cafe Libre? Rwanda Tim Schilling joins to cup the final table – Tim Schilling started the PEARL project on Burundi which became the SPREAD project, neither of which should mean much to most people, except that they provided agricultural support and helped develop the excellent wet milling methods used today. Rwanda Tharcisse from Burundi, cupping the final round – Final round. We had 2 cuppers from Burundi at the event, Tharcisse being a coordinator for Burundi sogestals. Will there be a Burundi CoE? Rwanda Only the Strong! guzzle Primus beer – Matt Daks and his favorite Kayonza bar, where we ducked in for a Primus and managed to lose the entire group. Good for us! Kayonza, Rwanda Rwanda Everyone takes a photo of ol’ big head – Perspecitive issues, Kayonza, Rwanda. I love this sign, but had to talk to the local political boss to get “permission” because he said you should always ask. I do, with people. Not with signs though… Rwanda Fish, Brochettes, Primus, – … it must be Rwanda. at Kayonza. Lots of bars in Rwanda, but I think the beverage of choice for the local alky is sorghum-corn beer. Rwanda Help. This camera is stuck on my face! – I know exactly how you feel, buddy. Kayonza, Rwanda Rwanda Kayonza town; So like real luggage. – Glamorous, enticing, luggage. Rwanda Magic Beverages! – A cup of stars, magic from a thermos, Kayonza, Rwanda. Maybe it is the Rwanda Tea they serve, which is just super sweet tea in lots of milk. Rwanda Surprise! – Next day, a trip to Kayonza. Not sure what the surprise will be. Like, surprise I am going to slam on my brakes? Rwanda Dennis Jackson and Uwe – Dennis, who some believed was actually a wizard, performing some coffee magic. Uwe, just trying to keep up. Rwanda Chikara Yokoi and a new friend! – Actually, the nicest part of this party was to get together with the national jury and staff. Lake Muhazi, Rwanda Rwanda Marilyn gets funky with the Rwanda cuppers – Marilyn Eng from TAN coffee in Canada, shaking it. Lake Muhazi, Rwanda Rwanda Paul Songer and Susie Spindler – Another classic “Paul and Susie photo”. Susie is the CoE director, Paul the head judge. Someday maybe we will hear a Paul and Susie Karaoke Duet. Might I suggest “Leather and Lace”? Or Statistics and Intuition? Rwanda The “Tea of Rwanda” is coffee – There were some patches of coffee trees around town. I asked a kid what it was and he said “thats the Tea of Rwanda”. But they also grow tea in Rwanda. So what do they call that? Rwanda Portrait request. – She wanted a photo as well. You see a lot of women wearing traditional cloth wraps, but not much from the men. Rwanda Auto repair – Another Rwamagana auto repair with great, imaginative 3 D graphics. Rwanda 3 dimensional Lions of Rwamagana – Coming out at you, Rwamagana, 3D lions. Rwanda Kids of Rwamagana – The fun is to show them the photo after taking it, and everyone shrieks with joy. Rwanda Local arts – There was a small gallery shop where I bought baskets. He was the owner and a painter too. He wanted to fake this photo by grabbing a brush and a few cans of paint. Rwanda All the good stuff – My favorite. And not just because the boom box is “Gold”. Rwamagana Rwanda For all your photo needs, in Rwamagana – Another great commercial painting. Is that Lucky Dube? Rwamagana, Rwanda Rwanda Rwamagana Saloon, not a Salon – … which is a hair shop and not a drinking saloon. Somehow Saloon is salon, and a salon is ??? Rwamagana Rwanda Just your general style for sale – In case you are feeling a lack of style, and you happen to be in Rwamagana, Rwanda Rwanda For that special eye-catching look – AYisha. Crazy fashion hair stylists of Rwamagana. Noted that it was a Salon and not the usual Saloon. Rwanda Hospital billboard in Rwamagana – Rwanda has more public services than any other African country I have seen. Local hospital Rwamagana Rwanda Local grub. Rwamagana – TamTam. A mug of something and something to eat. Rwamagana Rwanda Kids of Rwamagana – Of course, they want a photo. Look of great surprise. Rwanda “Active” toilets. – “Active” toilets of Rwamagana. Really, I have no idea. Rwanda All the stuff you need in Rwamagana – Water milk Coke plantain bread and fanta. Rwanda staples. Rwanda Lopsided horse with a lopsided smile – Somebody was bent at the factory. At the Dereva in Rwamagana Rwanda 
Paul whips out the charts – One great benefit to having Paul as head judge is that you actually learn a lot – he always brings new information to the cupping. In this case, the relation between acidity, sweetness and perceived mouthfeel in wine, somewhat applicable to coffee. Rwanda Cupping begins … – The next day we have calibration cupping at the facility in Kayonza (barely finished the week before). We hear the coffee is high quality – good to know. Rwanda The cupping room, Rwanda CoE 2010 – Obligatory cupping room overview photo. Stiener rocked the shorts the whole time. Smart. The competition started with 159 samples that the national jury reduced to something like 45, and then the internatonal jury ended up passing 22 on to the auction with scores of 84 and above. Rwanda 
Showing pictures – … a good reason to take kid photos. Photo was by Jon Ferguson Rwanda Party night at Lake Muhazi – OCIR threw a lakeside party at Lake Muhazi, Rwanda, not far from Kayonza. Entrance gates featured improbable giraffes. Rwanda New Jambo – Which begs the question, what happened to the old Jambo? Lake Muhazi, Rwanda Rwanda Serious attitude: Grey Crowned Crane – Showing some feather, making himslef big, telling me to back off, I think. Lake Muhazi, Rwanda Rwanda Grey Crowned Crane – Looking for his mate, I assume. I hear they always stay near their mated pair and maybe the fact he was alone explained his bad attitude. Lake Muhazi, Rwanda Rwanda Party night at Lake Muhazi – I heard boats were for rent, hopefully they didn’t mean this one. Lake Muhazi, Rwanda Rwanda Backflips for coffee cuppers. – The kids were doing acrobatics for fun and attention. Outside the cupping room, Kayonza Rwanda Thumbs up to you too. – Outside the cupping room, Kayonza Rwanda Bikes to Rwanda – Oh wait, they already have amazing bikes. Outside the cupping room, Kayonza Rwanda Water pouring in Rwanda – Obligatory photo of the water being poured. Most of the support staff was from the National Jury, so they were quite good at perparing the coffees. Rwanda The jury gets a talking to… – Why is everybody looking down? Shame? Well, after calibration there was some reason for shame but things perked up in Round 1. Rwanda Elaine, Chikara, Thompson – A potporrei of coffee judges. Rwanda Cup of Excellence 2010 Rwanda Dereva Hotel Recycles – Beer bottles used as landcape edging. Clever. Why Heinekin and not Mutzig? Rwanda Rwamagana IS HiTech – You cannot doubt it. There is a sign. Rwamagana IS HiTech Rwanda 
Rwamagana is Lo Tech – Crooked car repair, towed by a crooked truck. A couple wrenches tossed in for good measure. Rwanda Robot crossing – After seeing this sign I was inspired to take a hike around Rwanagana Rwanda Welcome to Kayonza … – At least the Laico has some options for breakfast. This time the cupping was held in the Eastern District near Kayonza and Rwanagana. We stayed at the Dereva Hotel, which featured the most hideous breakfast menu ever. Rooms were clean though. And Mutzig beer at night was cold. Rwanda Laico Hotel, Kigali through the screen – Another trip, and it always starts in a boring hotel in the capital city. In this case it is the Laico in Kigali, and it certainly could be worse. At least they have a swell pool. But overpriced, foo! Rwanda Cupping room at Kanyoza, Rwanda, in the East. – Brand new cupping facility built by OCIRcafe (the Rwanda coffee farmer and industry agency) near Kayonza to support the cooperatives in the Eastern regions. Rwanda
