PRODUCER: LIZA SMALLHOLDERS
COUNTRY: RWANDA
REGION: LIZA
VARIETY: RED BOURBON
IMPORTER: OMWANI
PROCESSING METHOD: CARBONIC MACERATION NATURAL
FLAVOUR DESCRIPTION: BLUEBERRIES & CREAM, PAPAYA, CASHEW, COCOA
In addition to being a farmer himself, Jean Paul has been carefully overseeing the operations at Liza since its incorporation in 2011. Jean paul and the team at liza have recently built a cupping lab, with the goal of pursuing exceptional coffee.
The surrounding area is home to over 500 smallholder farms, with an average farm size of 3 acres. Jean Paul and his team greatly enjoy experimenting, which sets them apart from many other stations.
Carbonic maceration only appeared in coffee a few years ago, and was popularised by Sesa Sestic after he won the World Barista Championships in 2015. But the processing method is not new. Carbonic maceration has (to a certain extent) been borrowed from the winemaking technique, which is popular in Beaujolais, France.
In coffee, this method of processing involves placing whole cherries into sealed containers with a one way pressure release valve, and fermenting them for a prolonged period of time. As the fermentation takes place, co2 is released and displaces the oxygen through the one way valve, creating an anaerobic environment. In Liza's case, this fermentation lasts for 48 hours.
Following this, the coffees are then sun dried on raised beds as a natural before being pulped, rinsed and vacuum sealed ready for shipment.
