Limited Edition - 20 Pods
£15.00
Our small batch roasts give our customers the ability to discover some of the rarest organic coffees from around the globe, each with their own unique story to tell. These are the true treasures of the coffee world, designed to excite, inspire and amaze.
Origin - North Kivu, DRC
Producer - Virunga Coffee Company
Roast - Medium Dark
Varietal - Bourbon, Arabica
Process - Fully Washed
Grade - 85.9 / 100
Limited Edition
100% Organic
Speciality Grade
Dotted along the slopes of the Rwenzori mountains, the coffee plantations of Kivu are home to some of the most exciting Organic coffees in the world. Blessed by plentiful sunshine and rainfall, their rich and fertile soils are the result of nearby volcanic activity that has helped carve out Virunga National Park, a protected haven for flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.
The coffees grown here are, quite simply, stunning - and our Limited Edition Virunga Reserve is no exception. Grown at altitudes of up to 6,000ft, the coffees are fully washed to give a true reflection of the bean; allowing the more complex notes to really shine through. Our precise roasting profile also helps accentuate these wonderful peculiarities - making this coffee both infinitely drinkable and truly unforgettable.
When enjoying a coffee as exceptional as this one, we always recommend to drink it without milk, as a simple black espresso (40-70ml pour). This will allow you to truly explore all the flavours and nuances of this particular Limited Edition, and even if you don't normally take your coffee with milk, please give this one a try. You won't regret it.
If you're using milk however, just follow a couple of simple rules. Don't use too much (or you'll drown the coffee), and never splash cold milk into hot coffee. Instead, warm your milk (froth if you can) and dollop on top to make a delicious macchiato or cortado.
Getting coffee out of the Congo is not easy. In fact, for the last few decades, it’s proved almost impossible. Decades of civil war have caused, amongst countless other horrors, a steady decline in the production of coffee and effectively destroyed the fragile export infrastructure that existed before the violence and unrest. In this environment, it is difficult to see how crucial a stable, tradable commodity (like coffee) can be for a country. You only need to look next door to Rwanda, DRC’s diminutive neighbour, to see that success is possible.
Over the last decade, however, there has been a concerted effort to establish, improve and grow both the production and export of coffee in the DRC. The Virunga Coffee Company is one such agency that aims to support this aim by bringing investment, technology and its expertise to help thousands of farmers improve the yield and quality of their crops.
Image courtesy of OLAM Speciality Coffee | @olamcoffee
For the launch of our Limited Edition DRC Coffee, we’re proud to be supporting the Virunga Foundation. Situated in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virunga National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site, and is the region’s most biologically diverse protected area. It is also, unhappily, in a region that has for the last 20 years been deeply impacted by the effects of war and armed conflict.
Alongside essential conservation work, the Park is also committed to supporting the local communities that surround the area; protecting both the wildlife in its tropical forest and the 4 million people that live within a days walk of its borders.
We're immensely proud of this coffee, and hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Our ethos at CRU Kafe focuses on sourcing a unique product in an ethical way, and that means supporting the regions and people we work with too. Our Limited Edition range is about giving our customers a taste of discovery; a taste of a different part of the world. Enjoy!