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tasked with the important management of the coffee and tea sectors of the country. The organization is involved in research and development, and supply-chain details through to export. This assistance has never been more important, and continues to grow in necessity as the Rwandan production and export of coffee grows. In 2002, Rwanda had just two washing stations and produced a couple hundred tons of coffee; today, more than 20,000 tons of coffee go through 210 washing stations in Rwanda. There's a lot for NAEB to keep up with. What makes for an even greater distinction here is the manner in which coffee is harvested and processed. This is dictated largely by the size of the average smallholder farm, which is usually about one hectare and may only have about 200 trees. This means no single farmer is going to have enough coffee to be processed or sold individually, especially with the harvest happening over a protracted period of time. Instead of the often-recognized "farmer level" interaction, the practice in Rwanda is focused on the washing stations or coffee processing sites mentioned above. This means that a single lot of coffee may be the combined work of anywhere from 150 to 200 different smallholder farmers from a specific region. Recent estimates put the number of these farms at around 400,000 nationwide, which combined are producing around 300,000–420,000 bags of coffee annually. For our specific focus, specialty coffee went from a production of less than 1,000 tons annually in 2004, to 6,000 tons in 2011. COE and ACE are credited with helping to galvanize the idea and effort that quality should be of equal importance with quantity, and that there should be a concerted effort to create and involve quality control and lab work to further this end. Early morning start times help keep the day's heat at bay in the Kayanza cupping lab, a 20-minute drive from the hotel. This first day is dedicated to calibration, which is crucial for a group of cuppers coming together from around the world, so we can score coffees consistently and as accurately as possible. While the work we do for COE is our focus, we're plenty excited about the opportunity to soak up the experience of being here in Rwanda. Every day allows for new sights and adventures. Even the bus ride to the cupping lab is interesting. But we don't stop there. After our day of calibration, we're pretty low-key—enjoying a beer, catching up on e-mail, and dealing with jet lag so we're well rested for the day ahead, which has us in four consecutive sessions of cupping eight coffees per group. For any one judge, that means sampling 128 cups in however many slurps it takes to ascertain a score. In total, that's 224 individual cups prepared four times a day. We can't do it without the amazing NAEB staff—40 in all, including auditors and drivers—who prepare the cups four times per day, clean up our mess, and set another session up again and again, so we can focus on scoring. This first evening we're honored with a welcoming ceremony at spectacular hotel resort on Lake Muhazi in the eastern province of Rwamagana district. We're treated to traditional drums and intore dance by the troupe, Garukurebe, which I am told means "come back and see the beauty of Rwanda." This is our first chance to really appreciate the natural landscape and culture, and we all enjoy ourselves, some going so far as to join the dancing. www.baristamagazine.com 37