Rwanda Dukunde Kawa Cooperative
Oh boy, this week has flown by as my kids have taken turns being sick with the stomach flu. I haven’t been at the store much, and my mind has certainly not been focused on coffee. On the bright side, we are definitely past it today, and the sun is shining again. This should be a lovely weekend for getting outdoors as we have a baseball game and Mother’s Day to celebrate.
Being a mom to these goofy kids is one of my greatest joys in life.
I have been thinking about mothers lately, as my grandmother in Texas passed away last week. She was 92 years old, and an amazing woman who was her church organist for 67 years and taught piano lessons to many. I can picture the legacy she leaves as concentric circles growing ever larger: she had four children, fifteen grandchildren, twenty-four great-grandchildren and counting. Each of us have women who have affected our lives, whether they are related to us or not. Mother’s Day is a good day to remember them all.
I am blessed to have so many wonderful women in my life. My own mother is probably my greatest influence to my parenting style. My mother-in-law is one of my best friends (how is that for lucky?)–and that even though we worked together for years. I also have a stepmother who loves to spoil my kids with gifts and treats at every holiday and birthday. I am privileged to have grown up with a grandmother who was a teacher and always had the most engaging crafts for us when we visited weekly. In addition, I have many other female relatives, and then a supportive group of friends to boot. Thank you to all of you!.
In honor of women, we are featuring our Rwandan coffee this week, from the Dukunde Dawa Cooperative. This is a group of mainly women farmers who are working together to market their coffee internationally. They are also donating a percentage of their proceeds to other cooperatives so that they too can build washing stations (for coffee processing). You can see a few pictures and read a little more about it here and here.
The last time we ran this Rwandan, which you can read about on our blog, a lot of you came in and gave us great feedback on how much you liked the citrus notes that you taste first. I talked with one customer whose preference does not run to African coffees, but who loved this one. This Rwandan has more acidity than body, and if you aspirate it like you do in a cupping (pull it noisily over your tongue with a lot of air: basically slurping), the sides of your tongue almost tingle. As you sip, however, the depth of flavor in this bean takes over, and you get some earthy and nutty tones.
We have our usual coupon below that allows you to try this Rwandan on us: but you can also save some ink and use the code in burgundy above: wonderful women. I hope that you take this Mother’s Day to honor the women who have been important in your life, whether they are mothers or not. And to all those mothers out there who are so often overworked and under-appreciated: thank you, and Happy Mother’s Day!
–Holly Fike