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Rwanda Washed Bourbon Coffee Flavor Profile and Characteristics

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista exchange - follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Like many African countries, Rwanda's coffee production is primarily based on smallholder farming. During each harvest season, coffee farmers gather ripe coffee cherries and send them to processing stations for treatment. Farmers pick ripe coffee cherries and bring them to processing stations for handling, starting with manual selection to ensure no unripe fruits remain.

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Rwanda Coffee Production Process

Rwandan coffee, like many African countries, is predominantly produced by small-scale farmers. During each harvest season, coffee cherries are collected and sent to processing stations. Farmers harvest ripe coffee berries and bring them to processing stations for treatment. First, manual selection is performed to ensure no unripe or damaged fruits are mixed in. Then the pulp is removed, followed by a 12-18 hour washed fermentation process in a cool, low-temperature environment. Afterward, the adhering mucilage is thoroughly cleaned in channels. During the rack drying process, processing station members manually turn and carefully tend to the beans, ensuring that under adequate sunlight, the parchment coffee does not lose moisture or experience uneven drying until the coffee beans' moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

Pour-over Brewing Method

Pour-over Rwanda: 15g coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (Fuji mountain ghost tooth blade 3.5 grind), V60 dripper, water temperature 90-92°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Rwanda Mushonyi Premium Selection

We have introduced several premium selections from Rwanda's Nyamasheke region before. 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 create superior coffee quality. We will continue to deeply explore Rwanda's gem-like coffee-producing regions. This batch is a direct trade batch purchased from the processing plant - the latest fresh harvest 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 small farmer cultivates approximately 253 coffee trees)

Flavor: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

Award Record: Mushonyi Processing Station's award record is extremely impressive. Besides winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, they achieved remarkable results in 2011 alone with four batches securing championship, 12th place, 16th place, and 28th place!

Rwanda's Rising Specialty Coffee Scene

Rwanda can be described as one of East Africa's rapidly developing specialty coffee-producing countries. In addition to the fresh memories of the tragic Rwandan genocide story, the quality improvement of its specialty coffee has also been very rapid. This year, we cupped several Rwandan coffees with fresh textures, beautiful and elegant acidity worth noting.

Flavor Notes

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

Product Information: Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee Factory Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473 Ingredients: In-house roasted Shelf life: 30 days Net weight: 227g Packaging: Bulk Taste: Sweet coffee beans Roast level: Roasted coffee beans Contains sugar: Sugar-free Origin: Rwanda Coffee type: Other

Technical Specifications

Product Name: Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country: Rwanda

Region: Western Province Rutsiro Region

Altitude: 1,827 meters

Rainfall: >1,500mm

Bourbon Coffee Varietal

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is a coffee produced from Arabica coffee Bourbon cultivar trees. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was called Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789. It was later occupied by France and connected with the African continent and Latin America. It is now one of the two most popular Arabica coffee production regions globally. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at altitudes between 3,500 to 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).