Rwanda Western Province | Mushonyi Processing Station Batch Washed Bourbon

Rwanda is a rapidly developing specialty coffee producing country in East Africa, with its specialty coffee quality improving very quickly. This batch of coffee beans is selected from the Mushonyi Rutsiro production area, located north of Nyamasheke, by the shores of Lake Kivu.

Western Province, Rwanda | Mashesha Processing Plant & Mushonyi Processing Field Collaborative Batch | What is the flavor of washed Bourbon?

The unique geographical conditions of high altitude and fertile volcanic soil, combined with an excellent climate, have created high-quality coffee. The Mushonyi processing plant has only 832 members, with each small farmer cultivating about 253 coffee trees. The coffee is mainly grown on mountains at an altitude of 1800m. Although the Mushonyi processing plant is not large in scale, it plays an important role locally: high altitude, fertile volcanic soil, and an excellent climate are all important factors in producing high-quality coffee. It received recognition for excellent performance in the Cup of Excellence (CoE) in both 2010 and 2011.

It is worth mentioning that the Mushonyi processing plant has obtained foreign organic natural farming certification. To produce good quality and abundant coffee beans, the processing plant encourages small coffee farmers in various ways: training farmers to understand soil erosion control measures, pest and disease prevention measures, and helping them understand the application of fertilizers and pesticides and their impact on coffee crops, environmental protection measures, and health and safety. All of this is meant to give farmers a clear understanding of the sustainable production concept behind coffee cultivation. Rwanda has the highest population density among all African countries. Since the first batch of coffee crops was exported in 1917, this small East African country now has nearly 450,000 coffee farmers. Each coffee farmer takes care of an average of 150-300 coffee trees, with cultivation areas that are not large, even smaller than 1 hectare, classifying them internationally as micro-farmers. Above them are the small farmers. Because micro-farmers cannot afford their own processing plants, Rwandan coffee farmers hand over their coffee cherries to regional central coffee washing plants for processing immediately after harvesting.

This batch of coffee beans is mainly "collaboratively processed" by the Mashesha Processing Plant (Mashesha CWS) and Mushonyi Processing Plant (Mushonyi CWS) located in Shangugu City, Western Province, Rwanda.

Coffee Information

Country: Rwanda

Region: West Province

Processing Plant: Mashesha CWS, Mushonyi CWS

Altitude: 1800m

Variety: Bourbon

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor Description

Fresh grassy aroma, orange peel chocolate, orange juice, citrus, melon, toffee, vanilla syrup, with a bittersweet finish of grapefruit and citrus peel.

Awards

2010 Cup of Excellence Champion

2011 Cup of Excellence Champion, 12th place, 16th place, 28th place

2015 Cup of Excellence 15th place

Flavor Profile

The dry aroma presents wine notes, passion fruit, strawberry, peach, floral notes, blueberry, and a perfume fragrance. On tasting, you can experience wine notes, passion fruit, peach, berries, blueberry, and lychee aroma. The finish carries rose fragrance, accompanied by the sweetness and acidity of fully ripe citrus. The overall flavor is rich and sweet.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90C

Grind Size: Fuji grind level 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee. First infusion with 25g of water, let it bloom for 25 seconds. Second infusion up to 120g of water, then stop.

Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then slowly continue pouring water until reaching 225g. Extraction time should be around 2:00.

Analysis:

Using a three-stage brewing method clearly separates the flavors in the front, middle, and back sections of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains faster, stopping the water flow can extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

This Rwandan lot is fully washed, and FrontStreet Coffee's washed coffees show what that process does. Long soaking in water consumes monosaccharides, lower the coffee's sugar content and raising its organic acids, so a washed coffee keeps more of the bean's own aroma while showing bright acidity and a clean, fresh profile.

FrontStreet Coffee's Gededing cooperative from Yirgacheffe is a good example: traditional washed processing at a medium-light roast, it shows jasmine and bright citrus, then green tea and honey, and it suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso.

For a more intense washed cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Little Tomato uses the country's characteristic double washing and repeated soaking to push the juice-like quality as far as it will go; expect cherry tomato, dark plum, snow pear, black plum, and brown sugar in a sweet-and-sour, juicy cup.

And if you want washed coffee at its most balanced, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 removes the peel, pulp, and mucilage before drying, which shortens the drying time and leaves bright, low-defect beans. The result is hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel, with none of the flavors sticking out.