Rwanda:
what a drying bed tells you about a lot.

The photo above was taken in 2021 at a washing station in Rwanda that Coffee Annan bought from. The green nets are raised drying beds, and what happens on them over two to three weeks decides more about a lot than most roasters ever see.

What a washed lot goes through

Cherries arrive on the day they are picked. They are floated to take out the light, damaged fruit, pulped the same evening, fermented for roughly twelve to twenty-four hours depending on the station and the weather, washed in channels and then carried to the beds as wet parchment. From there the coffee has to lose water slowly, from around 55 percent down to 10 to 12 percent moisture, without cracking the parchment or letting mould start.

What the beds tell you

Look at the depth of the parchment layer: a thin layer, turned often, dries evenly. Look at the shade: many stations cover the beds at midday because fast drying in full sun bakes the outside of the bean while the inside stays wet, and that shows up months later as a flat, papery cup. Look at the sorting: people at the beds picking out defective beans by hand is the last quality step before the coffee is bagged. In the photo you can see all three.

None of this is visible on a price list. It is visible on the cupping table and in the moisture reading, which is why every lot on GREEN. carries a cupping score, the SCA descriptors and the process, and why samples are shipped from the nearest warehouse before you commit.

What we check before a lot goes live

1. The producer’s own SCA cupping form, in 0.25 steps, with at least three descriptors from the flavour wheel.
2. Moisture and water activity on arrival in Europe, before release.
3. Photos of the cooperative and the lot, because a lot without a photo does not go live.
4. The documents: export papers, certificates and the washing station record, checked once per producer.

What that means for your order

A washed Rwandan lot that was dried well cups clean, sweet and with the red-fruit acidity people expect from Bourbon at altitude. The lot page shows the harvest window and the arrival month, so you can cup a sample when the coffee lands and release bags as you roast. If you want the whole harvest, forward buying through CAPITAL. fixes the price before the beds are even full.

Questions