Coffee Place + Cycling Boutique rolled into one:

Giraffe Coffee x Bomba Bomba,Rotterdam,The Netherlands

Giraffe Coffee Roasters:

Why did they name their coffee place Giraffe? Legend has it that the founders were fascinated with the land of Arabica coffees – Africa and they wanted their coffee ambition to be associated with the tallest animal in the world: Giraffe.

Started about a decade ago as a specialty coffee roaster in Rotterdam, Giraffe Coffee selects specialty coffees that you can separate from thousands. Coffees whose flavours are so interesting that you don't drink coffee, but you relish the taste. These are the most tasteful beans from Africa, Central and South America, and Indonesia. They support the values of an authentic and environmentally friendly coffee culture, in which agricultural knowledge and terroir identity are shown. Giraffe shares the values of a transparent chain, with priority for traceability, quality and fair prices that give farmers a future. After all, good coffee starts with good 'green coffee', today and tomorrow.

Giraffe Coffee Roasters do their best to discover coffees of exceptional quality. With their roasting technique, the roasters strive to bring out the best in each coffee.

Giraffe Coffee Bar:

What I visited along with my amigos was Giraffe’s Coffee Bar at Hoogstraat in the city centre of Rotterdam. They have a nice coffee menu ranging from full-bodied espressos, creamy cappuccinos to fruity filter coffees.

In addition to all the coffees, you’ll get to shop various filter brewing methods for home brewing, handy barista tools such as tampers, milk jugs and mills and obviously specialty coffee beans from Giraffe. Great for your home or as a present to others.

Bomba Bomba Cycling Boutique:

This was double delight as two of my favourite Cs : Coffee & Cycling were combined under one roof. From the coffee bar you can look at the most gorgeous items from the exclusive cycling brands PAS Normal Studios, NDLSS and Velocio in Bomba Bomba Cycling Boutique. Bomba Bomba also organizes amazing rides with their cycling club. Every month cycling enthusiasts come together in the Hoogstraat and start the day with a nice cup of coffee from Giraffe and then ride a beautiful route, with interesting stops. Each ride has its own theme and destination.

These two connoisseurs of coffee & cycling mix in interesting ways. Whoever comes in for a coffee might think about a new sporting hobby. And if you need a little extra energy before a ride, you can enjoy a strong coffee at the bar.

Now,the Coffee:

A Rwandan coffee of this level is rare! This unwashed but refined Rwandan coffee from washing station Bugoyi, led by Rusatira Emmanuel has flavours like berries, chocolate and vanilla.

Taste:

This natural reminds you more of a honey processed coffee because of the clarity on the one hand and at the same time the higher body and sweetness. The acids in this coffee come into their own. This is because the fermentation process is slowed down and controlled. The berries are placed in a cool place for 18 hours upon receipt and then dried on raised drying beds. This prevents 'hard' flavours such as metal and 'overripe' flavours such as mould. The place of harvesting and processing affects the taste. The place of processing, washing station 'Bugoyi', is located in the west of Rwanda. Rwanda has many hilly areas, but its location on Lake Kivu makes Rutsiro district cooler than other places in Rwanda. This makes the coffee taste clear. The hills in the area ensure that the coffee is picked at different heights and this creates a complexity of flavours.

Factsheet:

·       Land : Rwanda

·       Region : Rutsiro, Western Kivu

·       Producer : Rusatira Emmanuel

·       Variety : Bourbon

·       Height : 1500-1900 m.a.s.l

·       Processing process: Natural

·       Taste profile

-          Espresso: sweet, fig, cocoa

-          Filter: sweet, fig, plum