Is Rwanda Washed Bourbon Coffee Good? How to Make Rwandan Coffee

Rwandan washed Bourbon has quietly become one of the most exciting stories in East African specialty coffee. Below is a close look at a lot from the Mushonyi Washing Station, along with a tried-and-tested brew recipe for it.

Coffee Information

Variety: BM-139 (Bourbon)

Processing Station: Mushonyi Washing Station

Farm Base: 1,756 smallholder member farmers (each cultivating roughly 253 trees)

Flavor Profile: Red apple, cherry, cinnamon, honey

An Impressive Award Record

The Mushonyi washing station's competition record speaks for itself. Beyond winning the Cup of Excellence championship in 2010, the station placed four lots in 2011 alone, champion, 12th, 16th, and 28th place.

Rwanda's Rising Specialty Scene

Rwanda stands out as one of East Africa's fastest-developing specialty coffee origins. While many people still associate the country with its tragic history, the quality leap in its specialty lots has been just as striking. In recent cuppings, we've tasted several Rwandan coffees with refreshing cleanliness and beautifully elegant acidity.

Flavor Notes

This lot delivers distinct red apple, cherry, cinnamon, and honey notes backed by excellent sweetness and balance. The finish lingers with hints of cinnamon, almond, and chocolate.

Brewing Recommendation

For pour-over brewing of this Rwandan coffee: dose 15g of coffee at a medium-fine grind size (Fuji Rokusuke grinder set to 3.5), brewed on a V60 dripper with water at 90-92°C. Start with a 30g bloom for 27 seconds, then pour up to 105g and pause. Once the water level drops to about half, resume pouring slowly until you reach 225g total, then discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with a total extraction time of 2:00.

Coffee Origin Details

Name: Rwanda West Province Rutsiro Mushonyi CWS Bourbon

Country: Rwanda

Region: Rutsiro district, Western Province

Altitude: 1,827 meters

Rainfall: >1,500mm

About the Bourbon Variety

Bourbon coffee (French: Café Bourbon) comes from trees of the Coffea arabica Bourbon cultivar. It was first cultivated on Réunion Island, known as Île Bourbon before 1789, and was later carried by the French to mainland Africa and Latin America. Today it remains one of the two most widely planted Arabica lineages in the world. Bourbon is typically grown at altitudes between 3,500 and 6,500 feet (1,062-1,972 meters).

Bourbon Characteristics

Variety: Bourbon

Origin: Bourbon Island (Réunion)

Optimal Growing Altitude: 800 meters and above

Common in: Coffee-growing regions worldwide

Main Cherry Color: Red, yellow, and orange, but predominantly red

Cherry Size: Medium

Leaf Characteristics: Broad and short

Processing: Washed, dried on raised African beds

How Rwandan Coffee Is Processed

Like many African origins, Rwanda's coffee production is overwhelmingly smallholder-driven. Each harvest, farmers pick ripe cherries and deliver them to washing stations. The cherries are hand-sorted first to keep out unripe or damaged fruit, then depulped and fermented washed for 12-18 hours in a cool, low-temperature environment. After fermentation, the remaining mucilage is washed off completely in grading channels. On the raised drying beds, station staff turn the parchment by hand with great care, making sure it dries evenly under the sun until the moisture content stabilizes below 14%.

About This Lot

We have previously introduced several specialty coffees from Rwanda's Nyamasheke region. This carefully selected Mushonyi lot comes from the Rutsiro region, just north of Nyamasheke and also along Lake Kivu. High altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and an excellent climate combine to produce outstanding coffee, and we will keep exploring this gem of a region. This lot was bought directly from the washing station, the freshest crop from the 2015 harvest season (roughly June to September).

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you are new to pour-over and want a dripper that is practical, easy to master, and good-looking, chances are an experienced brewer will point you to the Hario V60. The company behind it was founded in 1921 in Tokyo and originally made heatproof glassware for research institutions. In 2004 Hario redesigned the V60's early form into the shape we know today, named for its distinctive 60° cone angle and "V" profile, and released it the following year. The cone and 60° angle force water to flow toward the center before dripping through, extending contact time between water and grounds so that aroma and flavor extract fully, while the single large hole lets flow rate depend almost entirely on the brewer's pour control.

The V60's fast, clean extraction suits floral and fruity washed coffees especially well. FrontStreet's go-to pairings for this style include:

FrontStreet Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Guodingding: Many coffee lovers' first stop into specialty coffee. Expect bright citrus, berries, and florals with a green-tea-like sweetness on the finish. Unlike the harshly "sour coffee" some imagine, a quality Yirgacheffe offers soft, fruit-like acidity that is very approachable for beginners.

FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui: One of the biggest star products of the specialty market in recent years. Intense tropical fruit aromas, strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee, with pronounced sweetness, very low bitterness, and a juicy, smooth mouthfeel. Often described as "the coffee that tastes least like coffee."

FrontStreet Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha: The legend of the specialty world. Elegant jasmine florals plus delicate citrus, bergamot, and black-tea notes; a clean, transparent cup with a long, layered finish.

FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato: A washed Kenyan lot from the Thika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters on classic SL28 and SL34, with a 72-hour double-washed fermentation. Look for vivid cherry-tomato and dried-plum acidity, full juiciness, mid-palate sweetness of snow pear and black plum, and a clean finish of yellow sugar and light green tea. Light roasted to keep the lively acidity.

FrontStreet PWN Indonesia Golden Mandheling: Dark roasted, very low acidity, and a rich, lingering body full of herbal and dark chocolate notes with a faint earthiness. A great pick for those who prefer a heavy cup without sourness.

FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1: Neither sharply fruity like many African coffees nor heavy and bitter like dark roasts, it strikes an excellent balance between acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma, showing cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey, and a light fruitiness. Smooth and round, with a clean, long finish.