Congo Rebuild Women’s Hope Collective – Mela Coffee

While I drink African coffee more than any other origin, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a country I have very little experience with. That is likely because quality coffee is hard to come by from Congo given years of civil unrest. Things are changing though as the international aid community and speciality coffee has shown an interest in coffee production in the central African country. This coffee from Mela is part of that resurgence and is from the Rebuild Women’s Hope, a collective started by Marcelline Budza with a vision to place women at the center of the integral development of her community and that building the hope of women is building the hope of the entire nation.

The coffee’s fragrance features notes of chocolate, deep fruit and blackberry. In the flavor I tasted notes of blackberry, chocolate, fruit and vanilla. The flavor was incredibly rich, sweet and creamy. It had a full, rounded mouthfeel that felt incredibly rich and decadent with every sip. The acidity was balanced and the sweetness was rich and chocolatey. I really enjoyed the complexity of the cup; there was a great depth to the flavors and a nice evolution with every sip.

The Bottom Line

I always love a good story behind the cup of coffee I drink. Direct trade, socially responsible cooperatives, etc. all enrich the story of the coffee we get to drink each morning. Unfortunately many times a great story doesn’t necessarily translate into a great cup of coffee, so it is really exciting when it does. Congo Rebuild Women’s Hope Collective from Mela is rich, decadent cup of coffee with a great profile and flavor backed up by a great story.