Our second annual Sholi & Caravan cupping competition was held in person this past June, on location in Rwanda, alongside Sholi’s estimable cupping team: Pascal, Elizabeth, and Claudine. Our visit was timed with the end of the harvest, when the best of the natural process coffees are finally ready to taste, having spent over a month being harvested, hand sorted, and painstakingly dried. Natural processing is still relatively rare in Rwanda, where the traditional washed method still holds court. With their bright and playful fruit flavours and clean, elegant acidity, natural Rwandan coffees are an absolute favourite for us – and they fetch farmers a higher price, too.

This year’s ‘Top Lot’ was chosen by our Head of Coffee and Head of Quality alongside the Sholi team from 20 lots, preselected as the best of the season. The winning farmers received a cash premium in addition to the normal price for the coffee, and they also received a very special, very unusual prize as well – a goat! This prize was requested by the farmers themselves during our first competition in 2021, a reward we’ve agreed to keep in the program indefinitely. In rural Rwanda, a goat can have long lasting value – milk, meat, manure, and of course more goats – which means they keep paying off many years down the road. This competition was made possible by working with, and listening to, our partners who grow our coffee. It is a celebration of their success and an example of how great taste can also have great impact - we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

  Caravan Coffee Roasters are proud members of 1% for the Planet. For more information please visit https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

BREWING GUIDE 

As natural coffees go, this lot is so clean and complex that our coffee team would have mistaken it for a washed coffee – an incredible accomplishment, considering many natural coffees contain distinct boozy, and sometimes earthy flavours. Our standard recipe should do the trick – 60g to 1 litre of filtered water – though an extra special coffee like this one might warrant a try at a pour over, for the adventurous.  For more brewing tips and tricks, visit our Brew Guides.