Flavor and taste characteristics of long-lasting coffee manor in Rwanda introduction to Kimmel Manor

The watershed between the Congo basin and the Nile basin runs through Rwanda from north to south, with about 80 per cent of the country draining from the Nile and about 20 per cent from the Ruzi River and Lake Tanganyika. The longest river in the country is the Niabalongo River (Nyabarongo River) in the southwest, which turns north, east and southeast into the Ruwuwu River and forms the Kagera River, which flows due north along the eastern border of Tanzania. Both the Niabarongo River and the Cagella River will eventually flow into Lake Victoria. There are many lakes in Rwanda, of which Lake Kivu is the largest. The lake is located at the bottom of the Aberdeen Rift Valley and extends along the western border of Rwanda. With a maximum depth of 480 meters, it is one of the 20 deepest lakes in the world. Other larger lakes include Lake Burera, Lake Ruhondo, Lake Muhazi, Lake Rweru and Lake Ihema, of which Lake Aishma is the largest in a series of lakes in the eastern plains of Akagera National Park. [2]

Topography

There are many mountains in Rwanda, which is called "the country of a thousand hills". The whole country is at a high altitude: the lowest point, the Luzizi River, is also 950 meters above sea level. The Midwest is dominated by mountains, which are part of the Aberdeen Rift Valley, which is part of the East African Rift Valley, extending from north to south along the western border of Rwanda. The highest mountain in the country is located in the volcanic chain of the Virunga Mountains in the northwest, of which Calisin is 4507 meters higher than the volcano, which is the highest geographical point in Rwanda. The mountain area in the western part of the country, located in the Aberdeen Rift Mountain Forest Ecological region, is between 1500 and 2500 meters above sea level. Central Rwanda is dominated by rolling hills, while the eastern border is made up of savannas, plains and marshes. [2]

Climate

Rwanda has a temperate and tropical plateau climate, and because of its high altitude, its temperature is lower than that of typical equatorial countries. The daily temperature in Kigali, located in the middle of the country, is generally between 12 and 27 °C, with small fluctuations throughout the year. There is also a large temperature difference in some parts of the country, with temperatures lower in the mountainous west and north than in the eastern low-lying areas. Rwanda has two rainy seasons each year, each from February to June and the second from September to October, while there are also two dry seasons, with a longer duration from June to September, often with no rainfall at all. the other lasts from December to February, which is relatively less serious than the previous one. Rainfall varies from region to region, with more rainfall in the west and northwest than in the east and southeast. However, the rainy season pattern has changed as a result of climate change. According to a report by Strategic foresight, the number of overcast and rainy days each year is sometimes smaller, but the rainfall is greater in a short period of time. In other cases, there will be frequent torrential downpours in a single day, more than in the past month combined. In addition, there are cases where the rainy season comes late or ends early.

Rwanda has been growing coffee since colonial times. Although the crops are mainly coffee, the quality of coffee produced in Rwanda is not outstanding, and its status in the coffee world is low, and few people pay attention to it. Most of the coffee varieties grown in Rwanda are bourbon. Rwanda, known as the "country of a thousand hills", has a high-altitude mountain environment, fertile volcanic soil and abundant precipitation, and has a climate conducive to the growth of coffee trees. The advantages of varieties and excellent natural conditions should have produced high-quality coffee, but why the quality of its coffee performance is not satisfactory? The reason lies in the later stage of processing. Improper handling will reduce the quality of coffee and sacrifice a lot of good flavor in vain. Harvesting, planting, treatment, grading, transportation and other links will directly affect the quality of raw coffee beans, in which the lack of control in a certain link will become a stumbling block to good coffee.

The coffee fruit needs to be transported to the processing plant as soon as possible after picking, but due to the lack of domestic facilities, it is unable to deal with the fruit at the first time. The fruits are piled up after being picked, which will continue to develop and accelerate mildew and decay due to lack of ventilation. Rotten fruits will affect the quality of coffee and show defective flavor.

In recent years, Rwanda has made great progress in the production and processing of coffee. First of all, coffee fruits are picked manually; coffee production cooperatives are set up all over the country to provide technical guidance to coffee farmers; coffee farmers send them to coffee processing stations for cleaning and screening as soon as possible after picking, and select mature and high-quality coffee fruits for processing.