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

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista discussions please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is a type of coffee produced from Arabica coffee trees of the Bourbon cultivar. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated in Réunion, which was called Bourbon Island (le Bourbon) before 1789. It was later occupied by France, along with the African continent and Latin America.

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is a type of coffee produced from the Bourbon cultivar of Arabica coffee trees. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was known as Île Bourbon before 1789. It was later occupied by the French and connected to the African continent and Latin America. It is now one of the two most popular Arabica coffee production regions in the world. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at altitudes of 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: Various 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 brewing method: 15g coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 90-92°C. First pour 30g water, bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops to half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Processing Method

Processing: Washed, raised beds sun-dried

Like many African countries, Rwanda's coffee is primarily produced by small-scale farmers. During the annual harvest season, farmers gather ripe coffee cherries and send them to processing stations. Farmers pick ripe coffee cherries and bring them to processing stations where they are first manually sorted to ensure no unripe or damaged fruits are mixed in. Next, the pulp is removed, followed by a 12-18 hour washed fermentation process in cool, low-temperature environments. The sticky mucilage is then thoroughly cleaned in channels. During the raised bed drying process, station members manually turn the beans with careful attention, ensuring that under adequate sunlight, the parchment beans don't lose moisture or dry unevenly until the moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

Mushonyi Rwanda Coffee

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

Variety: BM-139 (Bourbon)

Processing station: Mushonyi Washing Station

Farm owners: 1,756 member small-scale farmers (each small farmer grows approximately 253 trees)

Flavor profile: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

[Mushonyi Washing Station's award record is truly impressive. Besides winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, they achieved champion, 12th, 16th, and 28th places with four different batches in 2011 alone!!!]

Rwanda can be said to be one of the most rapidly developing specialty coffee-producing countries in East Africa. Besides the fresh memories of its tragic genocide story, the quality of its specialty coffee has improved very rapidly. This year we have cupped several Rwanda coffees with fresh textures and very elegant, beautiful acidity.