Democratic Republic of Congo - Nyamasasa

Bourbon is one of the most widely known and oldest varietals of Arabica. The varietal was introduced to and named after the island of Bourbon (now known as Reunion Island) by French missionaries from Yemen in the early 1700s. It spread through Africa and the Americas in the mid 1800s. Many varietals today have a lineage tied to the Bourbon varietal. Bourbon is known to have great cup quality but has medium-low volume per-plant production and is susceptible to all of the major coffee diseases. 

Jackson is a bourbon-related varietal that became widely established throughout East Africa, particularly in Rwanda and neighboring regions, due to its adaptability to high elevations and favorable cup quality. Originally selected from bourbon material introduced during the colonial period, Jackson gained popularity for its resilience in cooler growing environments and its ability to produce structured, clarity-driven coffees with vibrant acidity. Today, it remains an important part of the genetic foundation behind many coffees produced throughout the Great Lakes region of Africa.

In the cup, Jackson is often associated with refined sweetness, citrus-toned acidity, and layered floral characteristics. While yields can vary depending on growing conditions and farm management, the varietal is valued for producing elegant, expressive coffees that highlight both terroir and careful processing practices.

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the Lake Kivu region, washed coffees are typically produced through a meticulous series of sorting, fermentation, and drying stages designed to emphasize clarity, structure, and transparency in the cup. Harvest usually takes place during the dry season, when producers selectively hand-pick ripe cherries and deliver them daily to centralized washing stations located throughout the surrounding hillsides.

Upon arrival, cherries are first hand-sorted and floated in water channels to remove underripe or defective fruit before being depulped, often using disc pulpers. The coffee is then fermented for roughly 12 to 24 hours, allowing the remaining mucilage to break down naturally before being fully washed with clean water. Many washing stations also incorporate soaking stages after fermentation, a practice common throughout the Great Lakes region that can help contribute to the refined acidity and tea-like structure associated with coffees from this area.

After washing, the parchment coffee is moved to raised drying beds where it is dried slowly under the sun for approximately 10 to 20 days depending on weather conditions and altitude. During this period, workers regularly turn the parchment and continue hand-sorting to remove visual defects and ensure even drying. The combination of high elevation, slow drying conditions, and careful manual processing helps preserve the vibrant fruit character, clean acidity, and layered sweetness that define many washed coffees from the region.

Kalehe District sits within the mountainous landscape of South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the western edge of Lake Kivu. The region’s steep terrain, fertile volcanic soils, and high elevations create an environment well suited for specialty coffee production, with many farms positioned between 1,500 and 2,000 meters above sea level. Warm daytime temperatures paired with cool mountain evenings slow the maturation of coffee cherries, contributing to dense seed structure and the layered sweetness often associated with coffees from the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. Though coffee production in eastern Congo has faced significant economic and political challenges over the years, South Kivu continues to produce some of the country’s most compelling and expressive coffees.

Most coffee in Kalehe is cultivated by smallholding producers farming very small plots on the hillsides surrounding centralized washing stations. Bourbon-related varieties remain dominant throughout the region due to their cup quality and adaptability to high elevations. During harvest, ripe cherries are delivered to local washing stations where careful sorting, fermentation, and drying practices help preserve clarity and structure in the final cup. Many stations in South Kivu rely heavily on manual labor and community participation, making coffee production an important economic anchor for rural families throughout the district.

The combination of volcanic soil, high elevation, bourbon genetics, and meticulous washing methods consistently produces coffees with vibrant fruit character, structured acidity, and a clean, tea-like finish. At their best, coffees from Kalehe balance the intensity often associated with East African profiles with a rounded sweetness and depth that give the cup both energy and composure.