Rwandan Coffee|Rwandan Coffee Bean Characteristics|Rwandan Champion Washed Station

Rwanda Maraba Coffee

Country: Rwanda

Region Designation: Maraba District, Huye Province

Coordinates, Latitude: 454768

CWS Altitude: 1903 meters

Cultivation Altitude: 1600-2000 meters

Variety: Bourbon

Soil Type: clay, clay-sandy

Soil pH Value: 5.3

Annual Rainfall: 1300-1400 mm

Average Annual Temperature: 17-18 degrees Celsius

CWS Full Name: Multisector Investment Group (MIG)

Type: private company, established in 2005

Processing Capacity: 297 tons

Processing Method: highland natural water source washing and fermentation, with 40 sun-drying racks

Facilities: well-ventilated storage available

Variety: 100% Bourbon

Processing: washed fermentation, natural sun-drying on African raised beds

Grade: FW Grade A

Appearance / Defect Characteristics: green

Cupping Report: roasting time 11 minutes, removed at the midpoint of first crack, approximately cinnamon roast level

Dry Aroma: apple, floral notes, honey, cherry

Wet Aroma: floral, vanilla, spicy sweetness, chocolate, green apple

Sipping: excellent cleanliness, bright and crisp apple flavor, delicate texture, floral notes, cherry, chocolate, a minty coolness, refined vanilla sweetness, cherry-sweet chocolate, a lingering aftertaste

The Maraba Coffee Processing System

Rwanda's coffee industry revolves around its various CWS (Coffee Washing Stations), and the Maraba region is particularly notable. Premium batches from Maraba feature clean and delicate aromas with bright, sweet, refined flavors. The MIG washing station (Maraba Investment Group) is located in Rwanda's southern producing region.

Multisector Investment Group, or MIG, follows this harvesting and processing protocol:

(1) Main Harvest Period: from May to July, mature cherries are selected. Initial manual screening takes place at the farmers' plantations, followed by same-day washing at the station with batch recording.

(2) Washing Station: manual screening is performed again to remove defective beans and foreign material, then the cherries are poured into water tanks for floating, and any floating cherries are removed.

(3) Depulping: machine depulping begins, followed by thorough cleaning before fermentation starts.

(4) Slow Fermentation: an extended fermentation process is carried out.

(5) Cleaning After Fermentation: once fermentation is complete, natural water sources are channeled to cleaning channels, where the beans are brushed by hand multiple times to thoroughly clean the outer shells.

(6) Density Sorting: another round of density-based sorting is performed.

(7) Sun Drying: the beans are sun-dried on the station's 40 raised beds. During drying, workers stir the beans by hand while removing discolored, insect-damaged, and irregularly shaped beans. This refined sun-drying process is rarely seen in other African coffee-producing countries.

(8) Storage: when the beans reach about 12% moisture content, they are stored by batch in the station's well-ventilated dedicated storage.

(9) Final Processing: the beans are transported to the capital's dry processing plant for hulling and grading.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The clean, bright character of a well-run washed station is what FrontStreet's washed lineup aims for. FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gutingding, processed at the Gutingding cooperative, shows jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity with green tea and honey notes, and suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso.

FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato is the fullest expression of double washing, with a juicy body of cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, and black plum over brown sugar sweetness and a long, clean finish. For a balanced, crowd-pleasing washed cup, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 brings hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel in near-perfect balance.

Because these coffees are dense and clean, brew them in a V60 at a 1:15 ratio and 89-90 degrees Celsius, or pull them as espresso at roughly 20g in to 40g out in 25-28 seconds. Add hot water for an Americano or milk for a latte.