2008 COE Champion | Kigali Sector, Rwanda | Abakundakawa Cooperative | Bourbon

2008 COE Champion | Rwanda Kigali Region | Abakundakawa Cooperative | Bourbon Flavor Profile?

Rwanda, in Central Africa, is bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) to the west - a completely landlocked country. Coffee first arrived around 1904 with German missionaries, and cultivation began from there. By around 1930, production had grown substantially. Rwanda was once the 9th largest Arabica-exporting country in Africa, with nearly 450,000 smallholder farmers averaging less than 1 hectare each (about 165 coffee trees per farmer), for a total of roughly 28,000 hectares under coffee. Thanks to favorable climate and geography, and to new processing methods introduced by coffee organizations to raise quality, Rwanda has almost entirely adopted the washed process for its green beans in recent years. Cooperatives and farms therefore share washing stations to save costs, and the stations are generally surrounded by the coffee plantations they serve.

At the 2008 annual top-coffee evaluation organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), Rwanda Aromec's premium washed Bourbon beans defeated Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 and Sumatra Mandheling G1 to take the 2008 Cup of Excellence (COE) championship, cementing its reputation and price in the coffee world. This Abakundakawa cooperative comes from the small village of Musasa, about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Kigali, near the Rushashi washing station. It currently has approximately 1,960 members and two washing stations. Farmers grow their coffee with organic methods and soak the green beans for 48 hours - twice the typical soaking time for washed coffee - to amplify the special character created by fermentation. The beans are then dried on raised beds and hand-sorted to remove any defects caused by the extended soak or otherwise. From 2010 to 2012, Abakundakawa appeared on Rwanda's Cup of Excellence rankings three years running (3rd place in 2010), a testament to their strict quality control. The green beans closely resemble Kenyan beans in appearance (this lot shows full, beautifully colored beans).

Abakundakawa was established in 2004 under the official name Abakunda Kawa Coffee Cooperative, composed primarily of two women's associations: Hinga Kawa and Dakundakawa. Rwandan coffee in general is smooth, with an acidity and florality reminiscent of Yirgacheffe and Kenya AA - lemon and orange blossom aromas with caramel-sweet citrus qualities, similar to the coffees of Zimbabwe and Kenya in Eastern Africa.

Coffee Growing Region

The western half of the country and the Kigali region in the central part.

Coffee Varieties

Over 95% Arabica Bourbon, with small amounts of Catuai and Caturra.

Growing Altitude

1,200-1,800 meters above sea level. Flowering begins annually in September-October.

Harvest Period

March to July of the following year.

Flavor Description

Multi-layered aromas of stone fruit and subtle florals with hints of cocoa, a melon-like sweetness, an excellent aftertaste, and good body and acidity. The flavor shifts noticeably from hot to cold, revealing subtle red-wine notes as the cup cools. Complexity is superior. Suitable for roasting anywhere from an American City roast (end of first crack) to a Full City roast (beginning of second crack).

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

Filter: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: 3.5 on the Fuji grinder

Brewing Method: Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15 with 15g of grounds. First pour 25g of water and bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then pause. When the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, continue pouring slowly until you reach 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: The three-stage pour draws out the front, middle, and back-end flavors distinctly. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing between pours helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

What makes a washed Bourbon like this one so compelling is exactly what the Abakundakawa cooperative does differently: that extended 48-hour fermentation soak, twice the usual length, deepens the cup's sweetness and complexity while the washed process keeps everything clean and transparent. At FrontStreet Coffee, traceability is non-negotiable - we source from named cooperatives and washing stations, and we cup every arrival before it goes on the menu, because a coffee's story and its quality should be verifiable, not just advertised.

If you love this style of East African washed coffee - bright citric acidity, florals, and caramel sweetness with a silky body - FrontStreet Coffee's washed-process lineup is built for you. We favor washing stations and cooperatives with strict post-harvest discipline: floatation sorting, careful fermentation, thorough washing, and slow drying on raised beds, the same standards that let a lot like this Rwanda earn its place at the top of a national competition. Our roasting for washed East African lots stays in the medium to medium-light range so that acidity stays juicy rather than sharp and florals stay intact.

Brew it the way we brew it in-store: a V60, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and a three-stage pour with deliberate pauses to manage the V60's fast drainage. Taste it as it cools, too - with coffees like this, the moment the red-wine note appears is the moment the cup tells you why the washed process has won so many competitions.