Rwanda Koakaka Cooperative | Flavor Profile of Washed Bourbon from Mugashe Washing Station

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Rwanda Koakaka Cooperative Koakaka Coop | Muganza Processing Station Washed Bourbon Flavor Profile?

The Koakaka Cooperative (Koakaka Coop) was established in 2002, located in the southern part of Rwanda, adjacent to the Nyungwe rainforest. When it was first established, only three coffee farmers (Karama, Kiyamakara, and Rukondo) with shared aspirations came together to found it. Today, the number of members remains small, belonging to small-scale planting members, with an average member having only 0.25 hectares of planting area, or an average of 300 coffee trees. The Koakaka Cooperative (Koakaka Coop) has a total of two washing stations under its management—one named Karambi in Huey, and the other is the Muganza Processing Station (Muganza CWS), which is the source of this batch of green coffee beans. Additionally, the cooperative is currently building a third washing station.

Rwanda, located in the heart of inland Africa, had coffee introduced by German missionaries in 1904. In the 1930s, coffee was the sole source of income for farmers, leading to its prosperous development during that period. Coupled with government mandates at the time, coffee production increased, and although the quality was not excellent, it still contributed to the economy. In 1994, Rwanda experienced ethnic genocide, and coffee cultivation techniques and knowledge disappeared along with it. Meanwhile, global coffee prices also plummeted significantly, causing another huge impact on the coffee industry.

Among the world's top 10 coffee-producing countries, most are concentrated in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Africa, as the homeland of coffee, has always hoped to expand its international market. Among these, the small Central African nation of Rwanda, due to its limited land area, cannot compete in quantity, so it has shifted towards developing specialty coffee, focusing specifically on "fully washed" coffee beans. Compared to traditional natural-processed coffee beans, washed green beans can remove impurities, have better appearance, and purer flavors, though the cost is high—requiring 10 liters of water to wash 1 kilogram of beans, with only 200 grams of selected green beans remaining. However, through this strategic transformation, Rwanda can earn $60 million in foreign exchange annually from coffee exports alone, and has become a new favorite in the international specialty coffee market. Rwanda can be said to be a rapidly developing specialty coffee-producing country in East Africa. Apart from the lingering memories of the tragic Rwandan genocide, its specialty coffee quality has also improved very rapidly.

Rwanda's goal is to rebuild the necessary infrastructure for producing and processing specialty-grade coffee beans at a steady pace. The most notable effort is the Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda (PEARL), which primarily assists Rwanda in rebuilding agricultural institutions, production capacity, and cultivating agricultural talent to help local small farms directly sell coffee beans to buyers in the specialty coffee market. Unlike its neighboring countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia, which have centralized systems, Rwanda's agricultural cooperatives can conduct direct transactions with buyers. Currently, coffee has become a major export commodity for Rwanda. Besides exporting good coffee to the world, Rwanda has also begun to cultivate its domestic market and develop local brands, hoping to let everyone taste the rich aroma from this land.

Coffee Information

Region: Southern Province, Nyamagabe District area

Producer: Koakaka Cooperative (Koakaka Coop)

Processing Station: Muganza Processing Station (Muganza CWS)

Altitude: Average 1,700 to 1,800 meters

Variety: Bourbon

Processing Method: Washed processing

Flavor Description: Coffee berries, sweet peach, orange fruit notes, cream, cocoa

Additional Notes: Spices, rounded acidity, delicate and juicy

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water for 25s bloom. Second pour to 120g, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly define the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, stopping the pour can extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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