Today, I am visiting El Vista Café in Kimihurura Sector, Gasabo District. If you have been reading these chronicles for a while, you must be aware of my coffee addiction. However, this is not one of my regular coffee breaks. It is a highly informative study tour.

For starters, I need to learn how to brew coffee. Through visiting coffee nurseries, plantations and washing stations, I got a knack of planting, growing, harvesting and processing this iconic product. Surprisingly, I have never brewed my own coffee.

While visiting Kamujumba estate in Nyamasheke District, I rolled up my sleeves and tried my hand at pruning. Pruning is the process of removing all the unwanted offshoots at the bottom of the trunk. I also took this opportunity to learn how to shade and mulch the crops.

After the successful completion of my farming experiment, I had another hands-on training at Jarama washing station, courtesy of Kivu Belt Coffee. The latter’s bootcamp made me acquainted with the wet processing method.

Over the course of my extensive tour of the land of 1,000 hills, I have nurtured tender coffee trees. In addition, I have participated in the labor-intensive manual harvesting exercise. Last but not least, I have had my fair share of pulping and drying beans.

What happens after the cherries are transformed into beans is the first thing I am learning today. Before I leave El Vista, I will savor self-brewed coffee for the first time ever.

Coffee is not the only thing El Vista offers. The premises encompass a wine outlet, pottery boutique, gift shop and an artistically designed backyard bar. There are inspiring lessons behind the establishment of these businesses. As I said, this is an informative study tour. Over the next couple of days, I will share all the knowledge soaked up during the stopover.