Rwanda Nyamasheke Akagera Natural Filter

Akagera washing station is located in Rwanda’s Nyamasheke District, near Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe forest - a region of steep hills, cool air, and slow cherry maturation.

It works with a tight network of smallholder farmers, most cultivating just a few hundred Red Bourbon trees alongside other crops. Harvest is entirely manual, with ripe cherries delivered daily to the station for careful sorting.

For this natural lot, whole cherries are dried slowly on raised African beds, turned regularly to ensure even drying and clarity in the cup. This slower process allows the fruit to develop deeper sugars and a more layered profile.

In the cup, it leans rich and expressive: figs, cranberry, and caramel, with a dense sweetness, soft wine-like acidity, and a rounded, lingering finish.