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Region: Nyamasheke, Western Province
Altitude: 1,600 - 2,000 metres above sea level
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Natural
Producer: Various smallholder producers of Gatare Washing Station
Sourcing Partner: Falcon Coffees Asia
Gatare Natural is our first-ever Rwandan natural process release. In an origin where washed coffees make up the vast majority of its specialty output, we are pleased to introduce this natural process lot with standout texture and flavour.
Gatare Natural is characterised by heavy sweetness and juicy mouthfeel, with great structure and weight.
In the cup, it delivers notes of pink guava and nectarine, balanced by rich, sticky sweetness of dates.
Recommended for Espresso, stovetop and French Press.
Origin Story
Gatare is one of Rwanda’s most historic and respected specialty coffee names, centred around the Gatare Washing Station in Nyamasheke District, Western Province, near Lake Kivu. Established in 2003, Gatare is widely regarded as Rwanda’s first modern washing station, playing a key role in shaping the country’s reputation for clean, high-quality coffees. The station sources cherry from thousands of smallholder farmers farming the surrounding hillsides at elevations of approximately 1,600–2,000 masl, where fertile soils and cool lake-influenced temperatures support slow cherry development.
Processing
The coffee is almost exclusively Red Bourbon, carefully hand-picked and processed using the natural process method. For natural processing, cherries are delivered to the washing station where staff hand-sort and float them to remove unripe, insect-damaged, and drought-affected cherries.The selected cherries are then spread in thin layers on drying beds, where they dry for 3 to 4 weeks depending on the weather. Once dried, the coffee is stored temporarily at the station before being transported to the dry mill in Kigali for hulling.
