Ginger Cake & LemonHarvest: June 2020 Country: Rwanda Producer: Aime & Alexis GahiziRegion: Karongi, Western ProvinceProcess: WashedVariety: BourbonAltitude: 1,800 masl  Located in the Karongi region, Western Rwanda, Gitesi is the name of the washing station owned and run by Alexis Gahizi and his son Aime. This will be our third year purchasing coffee from Gitesi, and the arrival of this coffee at the roastery is always one of the highlights of our year! We love this coffee for its perfumed florals, lively citrus acidity and warming flavours of baking spices, a combination we think is unlike anything else.  The Rwanda harvesting season runs from March to August, and the best lots are usually selected from the May to July pickings. The farms are generally very small family-owned operations and the family care for the plants and pick the cherries themselves. Unlike last year,  this coffee is not from Aime and Alexis’s farm but a mix of cherries from multiple producers in the surrounding area. Every year, hundreds of farmers from the local community deliver cherries to Gitesi for processing but competition can be pretty tough. Farmers can deliver to whichever washing station they choose, so it's important that the staff at Gitesi maintain good relationships with the producers and offer competitive prices for higher qualities.  Due to the pandemic, we were unsure whether we would be roasting any Rwandan coffee this year. Thanks to a handful of European roasters, we were able to pre book these coffees and collectively fill a container. This is not only good news for the producer, but it means we are able to share this delicious coffee with you today. Complex, sweet and roasted for all types of filter brewing, expect flavours of ginger cake, perfumed florals and a zesty lemon acidity.