Rare origin · lake kivu

Congo Coffee

On the Congolese shore of Lake Kivu, farmer cooperatives are rebuilding a coffee tradition. Their washed Bourbons are fruity, sweet and still rarely seen in the US.

Altitude
4,900–6,500 ft
Harvest
February–July
Varieties
Bourbon, Jackson, Blue Mountain
Usual process
Washed
Rarity index
99/100

Carried by 4 of 312 US roasters we track

On Roasterland
5 coffees · 5 roasters

In the cup

Red fruit, citrus and black tea

Sweet and fruity: raspberry, plum, citrus and black tea, with a syrupy body.

RaspberryPlumBlack teaCitrus

Taste profile

SweetnessHigh
AcidityMedium
BodyMedium
BitternessLow

From our tasting of every coffee from this origin on Roasterland. Each coffee page has its own profile.

DR Congo, side by side

Same origin, different small roasters. Each roasts it its own way.

About the region

Coffee coming back

Eastern Congo’s volcanic highlands around Lake Kivu have grown coffee for generations, but decades of conflict cut farmers off from buyers.

In recent years cooperatives in North and South Kivu have built washing stations and found specialty buyers, often shipping out through Rwanda. Every bag that reaches a small US roaster is part of that rebuild.

Roasters who roast DR Congo

Afficionado Coffee Roasters Morganville, NJ Ampersand Coffee Roasters Boulder, CO Higher Grounds Coffee Traverse City, MI Joe Bean Coffee Roasters Rochester, NY

If you like DR Congo, try

AfricaRwandaRed fruit · Black tea · Floral · Citrus AfricaBurundiRed currant · Black tea · Orange · Floral AfricaKenyaBlackcurrant · Grapefruit · Tomato · Brown sugar

Questions about DR Congo

Where does Congolese coffee grow?
Mainly in the Kivu provinces on the shores of Lake Kivu, near Rwanda.
Is it similar to Rwandan coffee?
Yes, they share the lake, the altitude and Bourbon varieties, though Congo lots often have more body.