CO2 Decaf - Ruli, Rwanda

Citrus. Brown sugar. Marzipan. 

This is Ruli, our fantastic decaffeinated coffee offering from Rwanda. It's packed with sweetness and brightness for those who want all the good flavours but none of the caffeine. 

The CO2 (carbon dioxide) decaffeination process is a more natural and organic method for removing caffeine from coffee than other decaf processes. It's also a fantastic method for preserving flavour. 

Origin: Ruli Sector, Rwanda

Varietal: Bourbon

Process: Washed CO2 decaffeination

Altitude: 1700 - 2000 metres 

Green coffee sourcing partner: Mercanta 

The Ruli washing station is built and owned by the Musasa Dukunde Kawa Cooperative in the Northern Province of Rwanda. The Ruli washing station is a whopping 1999 metres above sea level and was built in 2003 with support from a Rwandan government development loan and the USAID-financed PEARL programme.

Many of the small-scale farmers involved with the cooperative own less than .25 hectares of land. In Kinyarwanda, Musasa translates to 'a place to make a bed' and Dukunde Kawa means 'let's love coffee', which goes to show how important coffee growing is for the livelihoods of people in these rural communities. 

Our sourcing partner has been working with the cooperative since 2007. 

More about the CO2 decaffeination process:

This process involves immersing green beans in a sealed water extraction chamber. Pressurised liquid CO2 is then forced into the extraction chamber, drawing the caffeine out of the green beans and dissolving it. Once the caffeine is successfully extracted, the caffeine-rich CO2 is transferred from the extraction chamber to a low pressure absorption chamber that allows the CO2 to return to a gaseous, caffeine-free state for reuse. The CO2 process is a natural, safe process that preserves the beans’ innate chemical makeup.