Rwanda Washed Bourbon Pour Over Brewing Guide | Rwanda Coffee Extraction Data

Pour-over Rwanda: 15g of coffee at a medium-fine grind (setting 3.5 on a Fuji ghost-tooth burr grinder), V60 dripper, water at 90-92°C. First infusion with 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Once the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, continue the pour, slowly, until you reach 225g total. Discard the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

We have introduced several premium coffees from Rwanda's Nyamasheke region before. This carefully selected Mushonyi comes from the Rutsiro region, just north of Nyamasheke and likewise along Lake Kivu. High altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and an excellent climate create exceptional coffee here, and we will keep exploring Rwanda as a gem of a growing region. This lot was bought as direct trade from the washing station—fresh from the 2015 harvest season (roughly June to September)!!

Variety

BM-139 (Bourbon)

Processing Station

Mushonyi Washing Station

Farm Owners

1,756 member smallholder farmers (each cultivates approximately 253 coffee trees)

Flavor Profile

Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

The Mushonyi Washing Station's award record is remarkable—besides winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, it took four placements in 2011 alone: champion, 12th place, 16th place, and 28th place!!!

Rwanda may well be East Africa's fastest-rising specialty coffee origin in recent years. Beyond the still-vivid memory of its tragic genocide, the quality of its specialty coffee has improved at an astonishing pace. This year we have cupped several Rwandan coffees with fresh, clean textures and beautifully elegant acidity.

Flavor Notes for This Batch

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

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted coffee beans
Shelf life: 30 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste profile: Sweet coffee beans
Product form: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar content: Sugar-free
Origin: Rwanda
Coffee type: Other

Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country

Rwanda

Region

Western Province, Rutsiro District

Altitude

1,827 meters

Rainfall

>1500mm

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) comes from the Bourbon cultivar of Arabica. Bourbon was first cultivated on Réunion Island—known as Île Bourbon before 1789—and later spread by France to continental Africa and Latin America. It is now one of the two most widespread Arabica coffees in the world, typically grown at altitudes between 3,500 and 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Coffee Variety Details

Variety

Bourbon

Classification

Heirloom variety

Origin

Bourbon Island (Réunion)

Optimal Growing Altitude

800 meters and above

Type

Heirloom variety

Commonly Found In

Suitable coffee-growing regions worldwide

Primary Cherry Color

Red, yellow, and orange, but predominantly red

Cherry Size

Medium

Leaf Characteristics

Wide and short

Processing Method

Washed, raised-bed sun-dried

Like many African countries, Rwanda's coffee is produced mainly by smallholder farmers. Each harvest season, farmers bring their ripe cherries to centralized washing stations. There, manual sorting first ensures no unripe or damaged fruit slips in. Next the pulp is removed, followed by a 12-18 hour fermentation in cool, low-temperature conditions. The adhering mucilage is then washed away completely in channels. During raised-bed drying, station staff hand-turn and carefully tend the beans so that, under ample sunlight, the parchment neither loses moisture unevenly nor dries unevenly, until the moisture content of the green beans stabilizes below 14%.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The V60 is the classic companion for delicate washed coffees like this Rwandan Bourbon: its cone shape and 60-degree angle force water to flow through the center, extending contact time for a fuller extraction, while its single large outlet and fast flow rate highlight floral aromatics, lively acidity, and clean sweetness. Two FrontStreet beans that shine in a V60:

FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding — the first stop for many coffee lovers entering specialty coffee. Bright citrus, berry, and floral aromas with a green-tea-like sweet finish; unlike the "sour coffee" some fear, a fine Yirgacheffe's acidity is soft and luminous—more like the natural sweetness-tartness of fruit than any harsh sting. An easy, welcoming choice for pour-over newcomers.

FrontStreet Ethiopia Flower Queen (Hua Kui) — one of the biggest stars of the specialty market in recent years, with remarkably vivid tropical fruit aromas: strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee. Pronounced sweetness with almost no bitterness, a silky, juice-filled sip—many drinkers call it "the coffee that doesn't taste like coffee," and it reliably converts those who dislike traditional coffee bitterness.