Rwanda Huye Mountain from Stumptown Coffee Roasters quickly became one of our staffs favorite coffees. We have it featured on espresso, available on pour over, and we even sneak it on drip when we get the chance. Every version is different and complex. The espresso brings out the dark flavors of bergamot while the pour over keeps it light and sweet.
The official flavor notes are dried Apricot, bergamot, and persimmon. When you first sip the coffee, you get the light sweetness of the apricot molding together with the earthy, tea like flavor of bergamot that burst to persimmon giving the sensation of biting into a tomato. The complexity of each sip is one that leaves you entertained through the whole cup. We love the Huye Mountain for it’s flavor and the fact that it's story inspires.
Starting in 2007, Huye Mountain has been the focus of a project started by David Rubanzangabo with the hope to revitalize the greater Butare area in Rwanda. David, as the head agronomist of the SPREAD project, teamed up with project manager, Tim Shilling to start a washing station that would produce consistently complex and high quality coffee.
They caught the attention of Stumptown in 2012 and worked with them to bring much needed water to the Huye Mountain Community. Now, they pull from about 500 smallholder farms based out of Huye, Maraba, Mbazi, and Kigoma which are all sectors within the Huye Mountain District. With his sister, Rachel, a cupper for SPREAD, they spend their time roasting, cupping and testing the coffees to maintain the consistent quality David strives for.
With David, Tim, and Stumptown using Huye Mountain to grow a community, we're excited to share this coffee that envelopes the very idea that specialty coffee was molded around: sustainability and community.