Kivu Noir Kimihurura

Kivu Noir is a premium Rwandan coffee brand whose beans are grown on the shores of Lake Kivu in the west of the country. The coffee is a single-estate Red Bourbon Arabica, and the company says it typically goes from harvest to cup in about a month, which it presents as the key to its freshness. It describes the coffee as among the top one per cent of single-estate coffees in the world, a claim worth testing for yourself.

The brand runs two cafés in Kigali. The Kimihurura café is the one with the longest hours, open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays and from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, which makes it handy for an evening coffee when most cafés have closed. A second café at Norrsken keeps shorter hours, from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays. Sunday hours are not published for either, so check before you go.

The emphasis here is on the coffee itself, so it is a good place to try the coffee on its own and compare it with other Rwandan coffees you meet during your trip. The menu is published on the brand's website if you want to look before you arrive. Indagare describes it as a high-end coffee shop, and prices reflect the premium positioning.

Kivu Noir also sells its coffee to take home and offers free daily delivery within Rwanda, which is useful if you want to stock up before a flight without carrying bags around the city. Its website has a link to book a tour, so ask about visiting the estate if you are travelling on to Lake Kivu. The company runs a social programme supporting free education for the children of its farmers.

Kimihurura is a hill of restaurants and bars between the city centre and the airport road. The café combines well with lunch at Poivre Noir or Repub Lounge, or with a visit to the Kigali Convention Centre. If you are staying downtown, the Norrsken café may be more convenient. The phone number listed by Indagare is the easiest way to confirm opening times before you set off.