Rwanda Mushonyi Washing Station Bourbon Specialty Coffee Growing Conditions Geography Climate Altitude

We have introduced several specialty coffees from the Nyamasheke region of Rwanda. This carefully selected Mushonyi comes from the Rutsiro region, located north of Nyamasheke and also situated along the shores of Lake Kivu. High altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and excellent climate conditions create superior quality coffee. We will continue to explore this gem-like producing region of Rwanda in depth. This batch is a direct trade batch purchased from the processing station, featuring fresh harvests from the 2015 season (approximately June to September).

Coffee Details

Variety: BM-139 (Bourbon)

Processing Station: Mushonyi Processing Station

Producer: 1,756 small-scale member farmers (each farmer cultivates approximately 253 coffee trees)

Flavor Profile: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

Achievement: The Mushonyi Processing Station's award record is truly remarkable. In addition to winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, they secured four placements in 2011 alone: championship, 12th place, 16th place, and 28th place.

Rwanda Coffee Excellence

Rwanda can be described as one of the most rapidly developing specialty coffee-producing countries in East Africa. Beyond the lingering memories of the tragic Rwandan genocide, the quality improvement of its specialty coffee has been exceptionally rapid. This year, we have cupped several Rwandan coffees with fresh textures and beautifully elegant acidity worth noting.

Flavor Notes

Flavor Brief: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, and honey, excellent sweetness and balance, with cinnamon, almond, and chocolate in the aftertaste.

Company Information

Company Name: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee

Ingredients: In-house roasted

Shelf Life: 30 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Taste: Sweet coffee beans

Roast Level: Roasted beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Rwanda

Coffee Type: Other

Coffee Specifications

Product: Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country: Rwanda

Region: Western Province, Rutsiro

Altitude: 1,827 meters

Rainfall: >1,500mm

Processing Method: Washed, dried on raised African beds

Processing Details

Rwandan coffee, like that from many African countries, is primarily produced by small-scale farmers. During each harvest season, farmers gather ripe coffee cherries and send them to processing stations for treatment. First, manual selection ensures no unripe or damaged fruit is mixed in. Next, the fruit skin is removed, followed by a 12-18 hour washed fermentation in a cool, low-temperature environment. Then the adhering pulp is thoroughly cleaned in channels. During the drying process on raised beds, processing station members manually turn and carefully tend to the coffee, ensuring that under sufficient sun exposure the parchment beans do not lose moisture or dry unevenly until the moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Rwanda's light, fruit-forward washed profile, here built on red apple, cherry, cinnamon, and honey, sits close to the floral-fruity coffees FrontStreet Coffee loves. The FrontStreet Gotiti Cooperative delivers sharp citrus, berry, and floral aromas with a green-tea-like finish, and its acidity is soft and bright rather than bracing, which makes it an easy first step into pour-over. The FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui pushes tropical fruit even further, with pronounced strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and even lychee, obvious sweetness, very low bitterness, and a silky, juicy body. For a savory, high-definition fruit acidity, the FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters in Thika from SL28 and SL34 and given a 72-hour double washed fermentation and a light roast, shows cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, and black plum with a clean, lingering brown-sugar and green-tea finish. And for wild-grown character, the FrontStreet Kaffa Forest comes from Ethiopia's UNESCO-listed Kaffa Biosphere Reserve at 1,400-2,100 meters, carrying jasmine, citrus, and wild berry aromas.