INTRODUCING KANZU FROM RWANDA

For the past few seasons, Kanzu has been a staple in our Winter and Spring menu here at Madcap. It’s a coffee that embodies nearly everything I love about coffee. From the flavor in the cup, that tastes like freshly picked raspberries and jasmine white tea, to the economic impact on its community at large and their ability to year-after-year provide inspiring quality. Kanzu is the type of coffee we live for at Madcap.

Kanzu is a subtle beauty. For me, this is a coffee that significantly evolves as you spend time with it, and you will want to spend time with it. I find that each sip showcases a little more nuance. It begins as a balanced floral cup and blossoms into tropical, soft, enlightening complexity. This is our go-to single origin coffee year after year at the roastery.

Over the past couple of decades, specialty coffee production in Rwanda has advanced substantially, creating a global demand for high-quality coffee from the country. Through the years, we’ve had the opportunity to see what was once only hopeful potential in this area manifest itself into the epitome of beautifully produced coffee. This has also given more money to farmers, created new jobs all across the supply chain, and given a positive lift to the country’s economy whose number one export is coffee.

Kanzu washing station sits at 1900 meters in Nyamasheke, located in Southwestern Rwanda. The coffee grows in rich volcanic soil on rolling, steep hills that tower over the station reaching up to 2200 meters. The soil, high elevations, and cool climate are perfect for producing ripe, dense fruit. The washing station has poured resources into an improved infrastructure, training farmers on the best agronomic practices, and improving quality which shines through in this cup each season.

Kanzu washing station sits at 1900 meters in Nyamasheke, located in Southwestern Rwanda. The coffee grows in rich volcanic soil on rolling, steep hills that tower over the station reaching up to 2200 meters. The soil, high elevations, and cool climate are perfect for producing ripe, dense fruit. The washing station has poured resources into an improved infrastructure, training farmers on the best agronomic practices, and improving quality which shines through in this cup each season.

Harvest lasts over 20 weeks at Kanzu, and the lots are separated out week by week. Each season we taste through the weekly separations to select the lots that we are most excited to share. This year we will begin by sharing coffee from week 10, and will transition to a lot from later in the season this Spring. We’ve got 60 bags and expect to be drinking Kanzu for a few months.