DR Congo Kivu 4 Washed Coffee Beans Dark Roast Inexpensive Good Flavour

I enjoy coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, formally Zaire. This washed coffee with, according to the shippers cupping notes, is Zesty and bright, hints of grapefruit and watermelon bringing juiciness and sweet flavours. The cherries are harvested between September and June, washed dried and then stored, becoming available for sale January to February the following year. This coffee scores an acceptable 80 with the SCA, Specialist Coffee Association. The cultivars grown are various but predominantly Catuai. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has a somewhat unusual coffee grading system and consists of three grades. Kivu 3 has 9-23 defects per 500g, Kivu 4 has 24-86 defects per 500g, and Kivu 5 has 86 plus defects per 500g. Kivu 3 and 4 contains a minimum of 54% screen size 17 and 20% screen size 16, with Kivu 5 containing only 44% screen size 17. We have dark roasted this coffee as I really don’t like or enjoy light roasted African coffees, a trend I see more and more, especially down in London, where there seems to be an obsession with lightly roasted bean to bring out the winey acidity, just makes me wince.