Rwanda Mushonyi Processing Plant Washed Bourbon Specialty Coffee Beans: Grading, Pricing, Green Beans and Roast Level

Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country: Rwanda

Region: West Province, Rutsiro

Altitude: 1,827 meters

Rainfall: over 1,500 mm

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is produced from Arabica trees of the Bourbon cultivar. Bourbon was originally cultivated on Réunion, known as Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789, and was later spread by the French across the African continent and Latin America. It is now among the most widely planted Arabica groups in the world, typically grown at altitudes of 3,500 to 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Variety: Bourbon

Related: Heirloom

Origin: Bourbon Island

Grows best at: 800 meters and above

Type: Heirloom

Commonly found in: Coffee-growing regions worldwide

Cherry colors: Red, yellow, and orange, but mainly red

Cherry size: Medium

Leaves: Broad and short

Process: Washed, sun-dried on raised beds

Pour-over Rwanda: 15 g of coffee at a medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder, setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water at 90-92°C. Start with a 30 g pour and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105 g, then wait until the water level drops to half before continuing. Pour slowly to 225 g total, avoiding the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Like many African countries, Rwanda's coffee is produced primarily by smallholder farmers. Each harvest season, farmers gather ripe cherries and deliver them to washing stations, where they are concentrated for processing. The first step is manual sorting to keep out unripe or damaged fruit. Next the cherries are depulped, then fermented for 12-18 hours in a cool, low-temperature environment, after which the adhering mucilage is scrubbed away in washing channels. During drying on raised beds, station staff turn the beans by hand and tend them carefully, ensuring that under full sun the parchment neither loses moisture too quickly nor dries unevenly, until the green beans' moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

We have introduced several premium coffees from Rwanda's Nyamasheke region in the past. This carefully selected Mushonyi lot comes from the Rutsiro region, just north of Nyamasheke and likewise on the shores of Lake Kivu. High altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and an excellent climate create the conditions for high-quality coffee, and we will keep exploring this gem of a coffee region. This batch was bought direct from the washing station - the freshest lot of the 2015 harvest (approximately June to September).

Variety: BM-139 (Bourbon)

Washing Station: Mushonyi

Membership: 1,756 smallholder farmers (each growing approximately 253 trees)

Flavor: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

The Mushonyi washing station's award record is genuinely impressive. Beyond winning the 2010 Cup of Excellence championship, in 2011 alone it took four placements with different lots: championship, 12th, 16th, and 28th place.

Rwanda is a rapidly developing specialty coffee producer in East Africa. Setting aside the fresh memory of the tragic genocide, the quality of its specialty coffee has improved at remarkable speed. This year we have cupped several Rwandan coffees with fresh, clean textures and a very elegant acidity.

Flavor Notes for This Batch

Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, and honey, with excellent sweetness and balance. The finish carries cinnamon, almond, and chocolate.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For more washed clarity in the same style, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Guodingding Cooperative Yirgacheffe shows jasmine florals and bright citrus with green tea and honey tones at a medium-light roast, while FrontStreet Coffee's double-washed Kenya pushes juicy cherry tomato, dried plum, and snow pear fruit over golden-sugar sweetness - both superb in a V60 pour-over.