Introducing 'The People's Farm" as October's Coffee of the Month

A modicum of tedium is fodder for the soul. Take the groceries out of the fridge, then put them back in. Baskets of laundry, smelling of rain and lilac and the mossy thing of rainforests in autumn. Loads of dishes, that dry chafe of hands submerged in soapy water and the following milky lather of cream. Bags of trash, back down the stairs, down the gravel drive, the walk back up. It all cycles about like the Tarot de Marseille’s wheel of fortune, ‘round and ‘round, little monsters at the whim of something greater. Texture, substance. There is also texture in laughter shared with a stranger, in unexpected kindness. A cat with pale green eyes comes pattering down the sidewalk and gifts her magic through the press of her fur against your shins. The clouds clear for ten minutes. Leaves imprint outlines against pavement. Sitting for too long in cafes, in bistro chairs, upon a lover’s knee, on living room floors at the feet of friends in the low lamplight, the clock ticking later and later into the night.

This October, Pollard’s Coffee of the Month is from Rwanda. Sourced from the collective

'People’s Farms'—small shareholders organized around a central washing station run by the Kivubelt group—situated between Nyamasheke’s Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe Forest National Park, the coffee is aided by cool, humid climates and volcanic seepage from the East African Rift. As a result, the beans are fuller, more balanced, and more layered than from other sources in the country.

Kivubelt’s operations unite more than 500 smallholder farmers through their washing stations. It’s a relationship the group nourishes with reciprocal support to the participating families; Kivubelt offers its smallholders quality premiums as well as training programs which provide knowledge regarding farming practices and financial literacy.

Rwanda 'People's Farm' is available to subscribers of our Coffee of the Month Club now. For those who haven’t yet subscribed, we have subscriptions at varying lengths: one month, three months, six months, one year, or until canceled. If you’re of the noncommittal set, Rwanda 'People's Farm' will be available for purchase in November, but at a higher price, and will sell out fast.

Producer: Smallholder farms organized around the Jarama coffee washing station; Kivubelt

Coffee

Region: Gihombo Sector, Nyamasheke District, Western Province, Rwanda

Altitude: 1933 masl

Variety: Local bourbon cultivars

Soil: Volcanic

Process: Fully washed

Harvest: February - June

Tasting Notes: Orange blossom, red berries, tart

Coffee of the Month