Rwanda Muyong Washing Station Bourbon Specialty Coffee Bean Varieties, Brand Recommendations, and Estates

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is coffee produced from the Bourbon cultivar of Arabica trees. It was first cultivated on Réunion Island, known as Île Bourbon before 1789. Later, with French expansion linking the African continent and Latin America, it spread to what are now two of the world's most popular Arabica-producing regions. Bourbon is typically grown at 3,500 to 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Variety Characteristics

Variety: Bourbon

Related: Original variety

Origin: Île Bourbon

Optimal growing altitude: 800 meters and above

Type: Original variety

Commonly found in: Coffee-growing regions worldwide

Main color: Reddish-yellow and orange, but mainly red

Bean size: Medium

Leaf characteristics: Broad and short

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Rwanda: 15g of coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal grinder, setting 3.5), a V60 dripper, water at 90-92°C. Open with 30g of water and a 27-second bloom. Pour to 105g and pause; when the water level drops to halfway, pour slowly up to 225g. Skip the tail end. Ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Processing Method

Processing: Washed, raised-bed sun-dried.

As in many African countries, Rwanda's coffee is produced mainly by smallholder farmers. Each harvest season they gather ripe cherries and bring them to processing stations, where the fruit is first sorted by hand to make sure no unripe or damaged cherries get through. Next the pulp is removed, followed by a 12-18 hour fermentation in a cool, low-temperature environment. The sticky mucilage is then cleaned off thoroughly in channels. During raised-bed drying, station staff turn the beans by hand with great care so that, under adequate sunlight, the parchment beans neither lose moisture too fast nor dry unevenly, until moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

Mushonyi Rwanda Coffee

We have imported several premium coffees from Rwanda's Nyamasheke region. This carefully selected Mushonyi comes from the Rutsiro region, north of Nyamasheke and also along Lake Kivu. High altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and an excellent climate make for high-quality coffee. We will keep exploring Rwanda, this gem-producing region. This batch is a direct-trade lot bought straight from the processing plant, featuring fresh harvests from the 2015 season (roughly June to September).

Variety: BM-139 (Bourbon)

Processing station: Mushonyi Washing Station

Farm owners: 1,756 member smallholder farmers (each growing roughly 253 trees)

Flavor profile: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

[Mushonyi Washing Station's award record is genuinely impressive. Besides winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, it took champion, 12th, 16th, and 28th places with four different lots in 2011 alone.]

Rwanda is among the fastest-developing specialty coffee origins in East Africa. Beyond the fresh memory of its tragic genocide, the quality of its specialty coffee has improved very quickly. This year we have cupped several Rwandan coffees with fresh textures and very elegant, beautiful acidity.

Tasting Notes

Flavor brief review of this batch:

Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, and honey, with excellent sweetness and balance, and a cinnamon, almond, chocolate aftertaste.

Origin Details

Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country: Rwanda

Region: Western Province, Rutsiro

Altitude: 1,827 meters

Rainfall: >1,500mm

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Rwandan Bourbon's clean, elegant washed profile pairs well with other bright, aromatic washed coffees. FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Guddina Cooperative comes from a shared processing team in Guddina village with seasoned methods, and the washed process highlights jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity; a light-to-medium roast adds green-tea and honey notes. It suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso.

For a fruitier washed cup, try FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Cherry Tomato from Kenya's Sika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters with the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties. Its K72 double-wash fermentation drives out a full juice quality that tastes of cherry tomato, sour plum, snow pear, and black plum, with bright, solid acidity, a pronounced mid-palate sweetness, brown-sugar sweetness, and a clean, lingering finish. Both make excellent pour-over singles - brew at 90-92°C with a medium-fine grind on a V60.