The Story of Starbucks Rwanda Musasa Coffee Beans - An Introduction to Rwanda Coffee Bean Characteristics and Flavors

Rwanda Musasa

Weight: 250g

Tasting Notes: Lemon-like acidity accompanies black plum with a syrup-smooth texture, sweet aftertaste

Available at: ibon mart, books.com.tw

About the Coffee Bean Label Design

The Musasa washing station is a gathering place where people come together, symbolizing cooperation and trust. The label design directly showcases the efficiency and the spirit of unity and cooperation at the washing station. Intersecting lines depict the flow of activity, while dots symbolize the abundance of coffee beans. The eye drawn with metallic lines watches over the coffee processing - farmers help one another and strictly monitor quality and processing to ensure the highest-quality beans, while continuously improving the community and making a significant impact on it.

Coffee Details

Region: Africa

Altitude: 1,900-2,000 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Lemon and black plum

Acidity: Bright

Body: Smooth

Food Pairing: Lemon bread, fruits

Variety: Red Bourbon

Rwanda Coffee Background

Rwanda lies in Central Africa, bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. It is a true landlocked country. Coffee was first introduced and planted by German missionaries around 1904, and by roughly 1930 production had risen substantially. Rwanda was once the ninth-largest Arabica coffee-exporting country in Africa.

Nearly 450,000 small farmers each cultivate an average of less than 1 hectare (about 165 coffee trees per farmer), totaling some 28,000 hectares of planted area. Thanks to its climate and geography - and to coffee organizations bringing in new processing methods to improve quality - Rwanda has adopted washed processing almost completely for its green beans in recent years. Because of this, cooperatives share washing stations to save costs. Generally, washing stations are surrounded by coffee plantations.

Starting in 2000, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) helped develop local farmer cooperatives. Combined with the country's excellent terroir - most of its land sits on plateaus above 1,400 meters - this has allowed Rwanda not only to gradually restore production but also to produce many high-quality coffees.

Dukunde Kawa Cooperative

The Coffee Lovers Cooperative (Dukunde Kawa Cooperative) was established in 2000 and now consists of more than 2,000 coffee-farming families, with 80% of the workforce being women. In 2003 it acquired its own washing plant, funded by the national defense system fund. In exchange for that benefit, the cooperative donates 10% of its total annual coffee income back to the fund. In 2004 it received Fair Trade Certified certification, and in 2006 it established two schools.

The washing plant sits at 2,000 meters above sea level, so fermentation takes longer than at lower elevations, giving the coffee a distinctive flavor. Today the cooperative has established a total of three washing plants, yet each coffee-farming family averages only 200 coffee trees.

This batch of Dukunde Kawa Cooperative washed Bourbon coffee beans is full and beautifully colored. Flavor characteristics: lemon dry aroma, wild berry fruit acidity, citrus, juicy plum flavors, maple sweetness, and dark chocolate.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Rwanda's washed Bourbon finds a close cousin in FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding. The Guodingding cooperative, in Yirgacheffe, is known for exceptionally refined, clean coffees, and this washed lot is a perfect example: jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity over green tea and honey notes, medium-light roasted. Pour-over, cold brew, or espresso all do it justice.

For a cup with more juicy structure, FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato uses Kenya's classic double-wash fermentation - the beans are soaked and washed repeatedly to push the juice character to its peak. Expect cherry tomato, dark plum, pear, and black plum, with brown sugar sweetness and a faint green tea finish, crisp and full in the mouth.

And if you love the balance and clarity of washed processing, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is the archetype. Washed processing keeps the beans translucent with a low defect rate, and the result is a rich, balanced cup of hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel where no single note dominates.