AvailableSpecialty
Rwanda · Lake Kivu
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed
- Grade
- Grade 1
- Screen
- 15+
- Crop
- 2025
- Quantity
- 100 bags
Orange · Red apple · Caramel
Grading reference
Rwanda Coffee Grades
Rwanda has a simpler grading vocabulary than Kenya or Tanzania, and that simplicity is the thing to understand: the grade carries less information here, so more of the specification has to be written explicitly.
- Grades
- 3
- Species
- Arabica
- Authority
- Export grading and quality oversight administered through Rwanda’s national agricultural export authority
- Bag standard
- 60 kg jute, GrainPro liners standard on specialty lots
At a glance
The Rwanda grade ladder
Where each designation sits on the screen scale — and which ones are not size separations at all.
Grade
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Screen number · 4.8–7.5 mm
- Grade 1Arabica
- Screen 16+Arabica
- Grade 2Arabica
| Grade | What it encodes | Screen | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Fully washed Arabica prepared to the tightest defect and screen standard, normally screen 15 and above. | Screen 15+ (16+ on request) | Arabica |
| Grade 2 | A wider defect and screen allowance from the same washing-station preparation, including smaller separations. | Screen 14–15 | Arabica |
| Screen 16+ | Rwandan offers are frequently specified by screen directly (15+, 16+) alongside the grade, because station preparation varies. | Screen 15+ / 16+ | Arabica |
The distinction that matters
What the grade does not tell you
This is where most green coffee is mis-bought. A grade is a preparation class. Everything below is a separate contract field, and every one of them moves independently of the grade name.
What it does fix
Rwanda grading encodes
- Defect count against the fully washed preparation standard
- A screen floor — Grade 1 is normally screen 15 and above
- That the parcel came through a station’s fully washed process
Use the grade to define the physical deliverable. Use the approved sample to define the cup. Both belong in the contract.
What it does not
Specify these separately
- Cup qualityTwo lots at the same grade from the same mill can cup several points apart. Only cupping tells you.
- Defect countA separate count on a defined sample, against a weighting table that differs by origin.
- MoistureA range plus the measurement method. Two meters on one parcel routinely disagree.
- Crop yearNothing in a grade name distinguishes current crop from a parcel that has been in store a year.
- DensityBulk density in g/L, which drives charge temperature and roast planning.
- Water activityStorage stability. Related to moisture but not derivable from it.
- TraceabilityCountry, station or day lot are different claims. A grade fixes none of them.
- Processing methodWashed, natural and honey can all carry the same grade at most origins.
Quick answer
Rwandan fully washed Arabica is graded principally as Grade 1 and Grade 2, separated on defect count and screen. Because station preparation varies more than the two-tier grade can express, Rwandan offers are commonly specified by screen as well — screen 15+ or 16+ alongside the grade.
A two-tier system
Rwandan export Arabica is overwhelmingly fully washed and is separated at the dry mill into a tight top class and a wider second class. Grade 1 is prepared to the closest defect and screen standard, normally screen 15 and above. Grade 2 carries a wider defect allowance and includes smaller separations, typically in the screen 14–15 range.
That is genuinely most of the system. There is no equivalent of Kenya’s E/AA/AB/PB/C/TT/T ladder, and no cup component of the kind Ethiopia’s classification carries.
| Grade | Preparation | Typical screen | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Fully washed | Screen 15+, 16+ on request | The specialty export class; station and lot separations sit here |
| Grade 2 | Fully washed | Screen 14–15 | Wider defect and size allowance from the same station preparation |
| Screen-specified | Fully washed | Stated explicitly | A screen band contracted alongside the grade rather than instead of it |
Why screen is specified separately
With only two grades doing the work that seven or eight do elsewhere, the grade cannot express size closely. Two Grade 1 parcels from different stations can differ noticeably in bean size, and a roaster running tight profiles will feel that difference.
The practical convention that has emerged is to contract on grade plus screen — "Grade 1, screen 16+" — rather than on grade alone. It costs nothing to write and removes the most common source of disappointment on arrival. See screen sizes for what the numbers mean.
The potato defect
No honest account of Rwandan and Burundian coffee omits the potato defect. A small number of beans in an otherwise sound lot can carry a pronounced raw-potato aroma and taste, caused by bacterial damage associated with antestia bug feeding. A single affected bean can taint a whole cup or a whole brew.
It is important to be accurate about what this does and does not mean. It is not a quality grade issue and it is not visible in the green — it cannot be screened or colour-sorted out reliably, because affected beans look normal. It appears at the cup, it is intermittent, and it affects a small fraction of beans when it occurs at all.
- Station management matters more than grade. Stations that manage antestia pressure in the field and sort aggressively at the table see it far less.
- Cup more cups than usual. Because it is intermittent, a single cup of a sample can miss it entirely. Cupping five cups rather than three is normal practice for these origins.
- Write it into the contract. Agree explicitly how the parcel is assessed and what happens if incidence exceeds what was accepted at sample stage.
- Do not treat it as disqualifying. Rwanda and Burundi produce some of the cleanest, sweetest washed Arabica in the region. The defect is a known, managed risk, not a reason to avoid the origins.
What we will not claim
We do not claim potato-free lots. No supplier can guarantee that for these origins, and any who does is either misunderstanding the defect or misrepresenting it. What can be done is to work with stations that manage it well, cup thoroughly, and agree the terms in advance.
Traceability
Rwanda has a dense network of washing stations serving smallholders with very small plots, which makes the station the natural unit of traceability. Many stations can report by delivery period, and some by the collection site or sector feeding them. See traceability for what each level can be evidenced with.
Rwandan coffee enquiries
Tell us the grade, screen, station-level traceability and volume you need, and the harvest you are buying into.
Request Coffee OfferLast reviewed 3 min read
Contract language
Writing a Rwanda specification
The grade names the physical deliverable. These are the fields that have to sit beside it for the contract to be enforceable.
| Field | What to state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Origin and region | Rwanda, plus the growing area — Lake Kivu (Rutsiro, Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rusizi), Huye & Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru | Region drives altitude, harvest timing and cup character more than the grade does |
| Grade | The Rwanda designation — Grade 1, Grade 2, Screen 16+ | Fixes the preparation class and the size separation |
| Screen | Retention screen plus the permitted percentage passing | A screen without a tolerance is not a specification — no sizing line is perfect |
| Defects | Maximum full defects per 300 g, and the weighting table | Weighting tables differ by origin, so the number alone is not portable |
| Moisture | Range plus the measurement method and instrument | Two meters on the same parcel routinely disagree |
| Crop year | Explicit, with the harvest period | "Current crop" means different things in different months |
| Cup | Approved sample retained by both parties | The only thing that fixes flavour; the grade does not |
| Packaging | 60 kg jute, GrainPro liners standard on specialty lots | Changes the price and the container arithmetic |
| Port and Incoterm | Mombasa (Northern Corridor) or Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) · FOB, CFR or CIF | Determines where cost and risk transfer |
Availability
Current Rwanda coffee
Availability moves with the harvest, with milling and with prior commitments. Everything here is confirmed against the current crop on enquiry.
Quality
How a lot is evaluated before contracting
The grade is assigned at the dry mill. This is what happens to a parcel afterwards, before it is offered and again before it is loaded.
- 01Physical gradePreparation class against the origin’s own system
- 02Screen distributionRetention plus the percentage passing
- 03Defect analysisFull defects per 300 g on a stated weighting table
- 04MoistureRange plus the measurement method and instrument
- 05Water activityWhere the buyer specifies it, for storage stability
- 06DensityBulk density in g/L, for roast planning
- 07Sample roastTo a cupping profile, not a commercial roast
- 08CuppingMultiple cups, against the approved sample
- 09Buyer approvalThe retained sample the shipment is measured against
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Rwandan Grade 1 and Grade 2?
Grade 1 is prepared to a tighter defect standard and a larger screen, normally 15 and above. Grade 2 allows more defects and includes smaller beans, typically screen 14–15. Both come from the same fully washed station preparation — Grade 2 is a wider separation, not a different process.
Should I specify a screen as well as a grade for Rwanda?
Yes. With only two grades, the grade alone does not fix bean size closely enough for consistent roasting. Contracting "Grade 1, screen 16+" costs nothing and removes the most common source of surprise on arrival.
Can you guarantee coffee free of the potato defect?
No, and nor can anyone else. It is intermittent, invisible in the green and not reliably removable by sorting. What is possible is to work with stations that manage antestia pressure well, cup more cups than usual at sample stage, and agree assessment terms in the contract.
When is Rwandan coffee harvested?
Broadly March to July depending on the district, with the western Lake Kivu areas generally earlier than the southern high-altitude districts. See the crop calendar.
Request an offer
Tell us the Rwanda coffee you need
Grade, screen, defect basis, moisture, crop year, volume and destination. Send what you know and we will confirm what the current crop supports.