Rwanda Lake Kivu Kageyo Peaberry

In the highlands above Lake Kivu's southeastern shore, the volcanic ridges of Rwanda's Ngororero district fall away toward one of Africa's deepest lakes. This is peaberry from the Kageyo washing station, a single rounded seed where two would normally grow, sorted out cherry by cherry.

OriginRwanda RegionLake Kivu, Ngororero Elevation1,950-2,000m ProcessWashed, Peaberry VarietyRed Bourbon The Source

Volcanic Soil on the Kivu Highlands

Lake Kivu sits along the East African Rift, where volcanic activity has layered the surrounding hills with mineral-rich soil. The Kageyo station gathers cherry from smallholder plots scattered across these slopes, where cool air off the water and reliable rainfall slow the cherries toward dense, concentrated maturity. At elevations near 2,000 meters, the harvest ripens late and develops the clarity that has made Rwandan coffee a respected name in the specialty world.

Kageyo built its first wet mill in 2010 and earned recognition almost immediately, placing in the 2010 Rwanda Cup of Excellence and winning first place in 2011. The variety here is Red Bourbon, the cultivar that accounts for roughly 95 percent of Rwanda's plantings and carries the sweetness and structured acidity the country is known for. Rwanda produces well under one percent of the world's coffee, a country that has chosen quality and reputation over volume.

The Craft

Washed, Sorted, and Roasted to City+

This is a fully washed coffee, depulped and fermented to strip the fruit from the seed before drying on raised beds under the sun. The washed method rewards Rwanda's careful sorting culture, where cherries are floated, hand-picked, and turned by hand on the tables. Peaberries are separated during sorting. Because the single seed concentrates the sugars a normal flat bean would share, the cup tends to read sweeter and rounder.

We roast this lot to City+ at our Virginia Beach roastery, a level that keeps the bright citrus and tea-like acidity intact while drawing out the caramelized sweetness underneath. Push it darker and you lose the lift that makes a Kivu peaberry worth the extra sorting. We selected this coffee for its balance: structured enough to hold up, delicate enough to reward attention.

Caramelized Sugar Citrus Black Tea Cocoa BodyMedium AcidityBright The Cup

Sweet, Bright, and Layered

The cup opens with caramelized sugar and a clean citrus brightness, then settles into a tea-like acidity that gives the coffee its backbone. Warming notes of baking spice move through the middle before a gentle cocoa finish rounds everything off. The peaberry character shows in the sweetness and the tight, concentrated body, balanced rather than heavy.

Find Your Fix

This one is built for filter. A V60 or Chemex shows off the citrus and tea-like clarity, while an Aeropress pulls the sweetness forward for a rounder cup. Drip works well for everyday brewing. Explore the rest of our coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA