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Beans: Rwanda Gatare, Red Bourbon, Natural, Nyamasheke, Rwanda.
Shop: MOK Specialty Coffee, webshop, Bruxelles/Leuven, Belgium.
MOK Specialty Coffee – Rwanda Gatare: Background information.
MOK Specialty Coffee Roastery and Bar is a well known Belgian roaster that houses in Bruxelles and Leuven. Although it considers itself a micro-roastery, the level of roasting is easily on par with bigger roasters out there. MOK’s vision is roasting in small volumes and keeping a close relationship with the coffee traders. They also try to keep working with the same producers thus really knowing the coffee that they sell.
Gatare is one of the oldest washing stations in the country, dating back to 2003. The washing statio in located in the Western Province in the Nyamasheke region. Gatare has a long reputation of having been among the first stations to process very high quality coffee for export. The country’s complex flavour profiles are ideal growing conditions because of the high altitudes & nitrogen-rich volcanic soil.
This Gatare coffee is a Red Bourbon that has undergone a natural process.
MOK Specialty Coffee – Opening the package.
The coffee you buy at MOK will come in a white package with a ziplock and degassing valve. The front has a label with some information and the logo. The back has some information about the sustainable project they support. I love those kinds of initiatives.
The color of the label will change depending on the coffee that you buy. This coffee has a greenish color while other will have orange, white etc.
The label will tell you about the country, name, variety, region, process, tasting notes and roasting date.
Opening the package reveals beautifully roasted beans with no defect to be found. the aroma coming out is that of tea and sweet berries. When you eat a bean you will get a tea like flavour at first that turns into a slight bitter with a fruity note. The aftertaste of the bean leaves a very soft vanilla note. Promising!
Rwanda Gatare – The tasting.
I have reviewed this coffee on the Hario V60, Aeropress and Siphon. I alternated between my Comandante grinder and the Eureka Brew-Pro.
The best result came with the Aeropress. The fruity notes were incredible and even when the coffee cooled down it tasted great on the Aeropress.
When you grind the coffee there is a myriad of aroma’s that come forth. Blackberry, chocolate raisin and sweet cherry can all be found on the nose. When you start brewing the coffee there is a nice mix of black tea, a hint of lemon and blackberry on the nose.
From the moment you pour the coffee into your glass, you will find a nice aroma of vanilla that is accompanied by sugared tea. After you wait for a couple of seconds, notice how lemon curd and caramel start to become more dominant. This mix gives the coffee a thick aroma that is lovely to sniff up. If you wait for a while longer, until the coffee has cooled down some more, there will be a pancake syrup aroma as well.
When you first take a sip, slurp some oxygen inside your mouth and swirl the coffee round. Blackberry jam mixed with vanilla is what you are experiencing right now. With your second sip you should be able to detect the lemon curd flavour and caramel that give this coffee it’s full flavour potential. The mouthfeel is satin, soft and sweet, and the acidity is berry-like leaning towards citric.
As the coffee cools down, there is a new sensation to the coffee. A nice flavour of salmiak pops up, giving this coffee a juice aspect for the next few sips. It also intensifies the blackbery jam again making this coffee even sweeter. The acidity of the coffee gradually changes into a soft malic-like acidity. The aftertaste is great, carrying flavours such as blackberry, lemon curd, caramel and a hint of salmiak. What a great Rwanda coffee!
The Verdict.
This Rwanda Gatare coffee roasted by MOK Specialty Coffee is just great. The flavours are all there and mingle perfectly. The blackberry is fruity and jammy, the lemon curd and caramel go hand in hand. Even when this coffee cools down it’s still delicious.
It is the combination of those notes and the influence of the pancake syrup, salmiak and changing acidity that will keep you busy for quite a long time. Drink this coffee all day long and you will not get bored for a second.
As a courtesy to this fine coffee, I placed a link to the website right here. This is a non-paid link so I do not get money out of it. Feel free to browse the webshop and order.