Rwanda Ruli Sector Musasa Group | Gatagara Processing Station Washed Red Bourbon

Rwanda Ruli Sector Musasa Cooperative | Gatagara Washing Station Red Bourbon Flavor Profile

Rwanda is known as the "Land of Thousand Hills" and for the biographical film "Gorillas in the Mist." Despite being a small inland country in East Africa with an area less than half the size of Scotland and over 3 million inhabitants, it features hilly terrain, fertile soil, and ancient Bourbon varieties. High-quality coffee beans are cultivated throughout Rwanda. It is believed that coffee was introduced to Rwanda by German missionaries in 1904. Coffee became the only crop that rural farmers could earn income from, and while the coffee industry flourished, unlike neighboring countries, there was no centralized auction system—farmers' cooperatives could trade directly with buyers. After the "Golden Bean Competition" in 2007, Rwanda held its first Cup of Excellence competition in 2008, which attracted more buyers' attention to Rwanda's high-quality Bourbon coffee beans. Today, Rwanda is one of the most advanced countries in Africa.

Before the severe ethnic conflicts of the 1990s, Rwanda's coffee bean exports reached 45,000 tons. Although exports gradually decreased to 25,000 tons afterward—only half of what Kenya and Tanzania export—coffee still accounted for about one-third of Rwanda's export revenue. The 1994 genocide claimed nearly 500,000 lives and nearly wiped out coffee cultivation knowledge and techniques. At the same time, global coffee prices plummeted dramatically, further devastating Rwanda's coffee industry. Today, Rwanda's coffee industry is experiencing a revival, steadily rebuilding the infrastructure needed for specialty coffee production and processing. Notably, the "Partnership to Enhance Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages" (PEARL) project has been instrumental in helping Rwanda rebuild agricultural institutions, production capacity, and cultivate agricultural talent, enabling local small farms to sell coffee beans directly to specialty coffee market buyers and earn higher profits.

The Musasa Cooperative is Rwanda's largest coffee company, with 1,815 members distributed across the highlands of northwestern Rwanda at elevations of 1,500-2,000 meters. All are small farmers cultivating less than 1 hectare with approximately 500 trees each. In 2003, they began establishing their own washing stations to increase opportunities to sell their crops to international buyers and obtain better prices. The Gatagara washing station, located at 1,800 meters amid towering and steep green valleys, employs approximately 175 people during the harvest season, including 19 permanent workers, and processes beans from 20 farms. It was ranked 6th in the 2011 Cup of Excellence competition.

Coffee Information

Farm: Musasa Cooperative (Gatagara washing station)

City: Rushashi District

Region: Ruli Sector

Country: Rwanda

Altitude: 1,800 meters

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: 100% Red Bourbon

Processing System: Fully Washed and dried on patio (beans dried on racks develop cleaner flavor profiles)

Flavor: Mango and pineapple notes, clean and bright acidity, balanced fruit sweetness, delightful fresh milk flavor

Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal R-440 at setting 3.5

Brewing Technique: Coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15, using 15g of coffee grounds. First pour: 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second pour: continue pouring to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops halfway before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g total. Total extraction time: approximately 2:00 minutes.

Analysis

This three-stage brewing method clearly distinguishes the flavors in the early, middle, and later stages of extraction. Because the V60 has many ribs, the drainage rate is relatively fast, so pausing the pour helps extend the extraction time.

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