What's the Market for Rwanda Washed Bourbon Coffee Beans and Which Rwanda Coffee Brand is Best

Coffee is a craft best learned by tasting widely and comparing notes with other drinkers.

Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country: Rwanda

Region: Western Province, Rutsiro

Altitude: 1827 meters

Rainfall: >1500mm

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) is coffee produced from the Bourbon variety of Arabica trees. It was first cultivated on Réunion, called Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon) before 1789, and was later occupied by France, which connected it to the African continent and to Latin America. It is now one of the two most widely grown Arabica groups in the world. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at altitudes between 3,500 and 6,500 feet (1062-1972 meters).

Bourbon Variety Details

Variety: Bourbon

Related: Heirloom

Origin: Bourbon Island

Grows best at: 800 meters and above

Type: Heirloom

Commonly found in: Coffee-growing regions worldwide

Main color: Red, yellow, and orange, but primarily red

Bean size: Medium

Leaf characteristics: Broad and short

Processing method: Washed, raised bed sun-dried

Like many African countries, Rwanda's coffee is produced mainly by small farmers. Each harvest season, farmers gather ripe cherries and send them to processing stations. At the station, manual selection first ensures that no unripe or damaged fruit is mixed in. The skin is removed, followed by a 12-18 hour washed fermentation in a cool, low-temperature environment. The remaining mucilage is then cleaned off thoroughly in washing channels. During drying on raised beds, station members turn and tend the beans by hand, making sure that under sufficient sun the parchment beans neither lose moisture too fast nor dry unevenly, until moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

We have introduced several specialty coffees from Rwanda's Nyamasheke region in the past. This carefully selected Mushonyi comes from Rutsiro, north of Nyamasheke and also beside Lake Kivu. High altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and an excellent climate make for high-quality coffee. We will keep working deeply in Rwanda, this gem of a producing region. This batch is a direct trade lot bought from the processing plant, freshly harvested from the 2015 season (roughly June to September).

Coffee Details

Variety: BM-139 (Bourbon)

Processing Station: Mushonyi Washing Station

Farm Owner: 1756 member small farmers (each small farmer cultivates approximately 253 trees)

Flavor: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

[Mushonyi Washing Station's award record is astonishing. Besides winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, in 2011 alone four batches took first place, 12th place, 16th place, and 28th place.]

Rwanda is one of the most rapidly developing specialty coffee origins in East Africa. Alongside 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, clean textures and beautiful, elegant acidity.

Flavor Notes

Brief flavor review of this batch:

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

Pour-over Rwanda: 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Komachi small Fuji ghost tooth 3.5 grind), V60 dripper, water at 90-92°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds, pour to 105g and stop, then when the water level drops to halfway, pour slowly to 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Content: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Sweet coffee beans
Raw/Roasted: Roasted coffee beans
Contains Sugar: Sugar-free
Origin: Rwanda
Coffee Type: Other

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Since this Rwandan lot is washed, the natural comparison is with FrontStreet Coffee's other washed coffees. The Yirgacheffe Gotiti cooperative is a good starting point: washed processing is what lets it show jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity at full strength, and a medium-light roast adds green tea and honey notes. It is comfortable as pour-over, cold brew, or espresso.

If you want the clearest illustration of what repeated washing does, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato is it. Kenya is known for double washing, and the extra rinsing and soaking emphasize the juice in the cup: cherry tomato, dried plum, pear, black plum, and brown sugar, sweet-tart and full of juice - the profile many experienced drinkers reach for.

And for a softer, more balanced washed cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is worth trying. Jamaica's island climate gives relatively short sunlight, so washing was adopted to cut the risk of spoilage; removing skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying shortens the drying time and produces bright, low-defect beans. The cup shows hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel, in a balance where no single note dominates.