SOPACDI (Solidarité Paysanne pour la Promotion des Actions Café et Développement Intégral) was created in 2002. This coffee co-op is located on Lake Kivu, straddling the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. SOPACDI now has over 5,200 farmers, 20% of whom are women, and is a leader in promoting gender equality and helping revitalize the country's coffee economy. SOPACDI is the very first certified Fairtrade co-op in the DRC and is the 2014 Sustainability Award Recipient from the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
Critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas are found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With each purchase of this coffee, Thanksgiving Coffee donates to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, which has been working to protect these beautiful creatures for over 55 years. Since 2004 we have raised $58,494.28 and counting…
Rich, chocolatey
"Didn't realize I had selected the dark roast when I ordered somehow, but it suits this coffee good. Immediate chocolate punch on first opening. Giving the medium roast a go on the next one. (And it's Fairtrade from SOPACDI - a co-op doing some amazing work in the Congo.)" From Kyle of Madison, Wisconsin on 4/10/2017.
Coffee to Water Ratio
Using the correct amount of coffee will ensure that your coffee is brewed to strength, without over-extracting or under-extracting the coffee to compensate for an inappropriate dose. We recommend 2 grams of coffee for every fluid ounce of water used to brew. Weighing coffee is the most accurate way to measure the appropriate dose. If a scale is not available, we recommend 2 heaping tablespoons of ground coffee for every 5 ounces of water used to brew.
Grind Size
Producing the correct particle size in ground coffee is one of the most important steps in coffee brewing. In general, a finer grind will produce a more intense brew and a coarser grind will produce a less intense brew. At the same time, a grind that is too fine will produce an over-extracted, astringent brew, and a grind that is too coarse will produce a weak, under-extracted brew lacking flavor. In pour-over methods, grind size also affects the rate of extraction, as water will pass more slowly through a finer grind, and more quickly through a coarser grind. We strongly recommend burr grinders over blade grinders.
Water Temperature and Quality
Water temperature dramatically affects the extraction of coffee’s flavor during brewing. We recommend brewing with water at 200° Fahrenheit for best results. Using fresh, clean, chlorine-free water is essential.