Tango: Light Roast (SO)
Can't decide between a washed or more fruity natural coffee? Or maybe you find some natural coffees a bit too fruity? We've got you covered.
Let two coffees from the same region, neigbouring farms, and the same varietal, but processed differently. meet for a passionate dance of the senses. Tango is your next cup.
This is a coffee that blends our washed Lighthouse light roast, with our natural My Cherry Amour. This coffee offers the clean, soft acids of the washed coffee, with a subtle fruity finish and the delicate berry aromas of a natural coffee.
ORIGIN + VARIETY: SINGLE PRODUCER - Rwanda + Red Bourbon
TASTING NOTES: milk chocolate + field berries
ROAST: Light
PRODUCERS: Ikizere Women Producers (for the natural) + smallholder farmers for rest
FARM: smallholder farms working toether
REGION: Southern Nyaruguru District
ALTITUDE: 1535-1900 masl
PROCESS: Washed / Natural
SIZE: Available in 125g. 227g 340g, 908g and 5lb bags.
GRIND: Whole Bean, Filter, French Press and Espresso/Moka Pot.
More about the Ikizere Women Group (who grow the natural portions of this coffee):
The Fugi Ikizere group is made up of single mothers, many of whom are widowed, and face the difficult task of navigating a Rwandese society that still struggles with much patriarchal discrimination.
The Ikizere lots represent farmgate prices (what is actually paid to the farmers) that are 50% more than the national average. In order to make an even deeper impact, the women of Ikizere also depulp their coffees by hand together so that they can connect and bond over the similar difficulties many face.
Our partners at Baho and Semilla Coffee have also started a Farmer First program that ensures farmers can get second payments throughout the year, so producers and pickers aren't only paid at harvest. It also allows for workarounds for higher payments than the government imposed ceiling allows, and provides micro financing that producers depend on throughout the year. We also send micro financing donations to the farmers in Rwanda that we work with, alongside our partners.
More about the processing method:
The naturally processed portions of this coffee, involve spreading the harvested cherries out on drying beds for several weeks with the fruit and skin still intact. The washed process is more common and involves removing the skin of the cherries (known as depulping) before submerging them in water to break down and remove the mucilage (sticky layer around the seed).
This natural process first includes quality control via hand sorting and floating. The good quality cherries selected in this process are stored in bags for 12 hours, allowing the mucilage to stick to the bean.
Cherries are then turned out on to drying tables the following morning, with no more
than 150kg being placed on each table and the cherries are stacked no thicker than
2 to 4 cm depending on the weather.
For the first 5 days, the cherries are turned every hour, while from day 5 to 20, the
coffee are turned every two hours. At the 20th day, the cherries are assessed and if
the weather is hot, they are covered for three to five days, and this process is
repeated until the 45-50th day.
In general, naturals are left to dry for between 50-53 days across all washing stations operated by Baho Coffee. And that's why it's the best!
Brewing Tips:
- ESPRESSO: If wanting to pull this natural coffee as an espresso, we recommend experimentation. Try a 1:3 ratio, and grind a litter finer for a longer shot.
- POUR OVER: For a V60, we recommend grinding fine-medium for this roast, 2-3 pours (post bloom). We use a 1:15 for a real velvety cup, or a 1:16/1:17 for a more rounded cup.
- FRENCH PRESS: We recommend the James Hoffman method for French press: 1:16.67 ratio // medium grind (not too coarse) // add water, do not stir, brew for 4 minutes // after 4 mins break crust gently, scoop everything off that floats // let sit for another 5-8 minutes // don't press all the way, only use it as a filter at the surface of the brew.
- ICED COFFEE: Perfect as a funky and wild pour over flash freeze brew. Use large cocktail ice, lower your brewing ratios and then prepare as you usually would (with the option of adding a bit less water)!
Thank you to our partners at www.Semilla.com for the information contained on this page!
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