Rwanda Gasharu Ireme Extreme Exotic
Rwanda Gasharu Ireme Extreme Exotic One Roast
I cannot tell you how excited I am to bring you this coffee, for the fourth year running. We even got a certificate at the end of last season as a recognition of our business, a little bit like a gold star. I love this coffee, for its depth of sweetness and complexity.
Previously, I have said to friends who are producers that the only problem with producing borderline-perfect coffee is the pressure that you put on yourselves for future crops! Over the last few years, the Ireme Extreme (as it’s often known) coffee from Gasharu has improved and this year, it is fantastic, once again.
Top Trumps:
Name: Gasharu Coffee Washing Station
Location: Macuba Sector, Nyamasheke District, Western Province
Foundation year: 2014
Manager: Valentin Kimenyi
Number of farmers: 1650
Varietal: Bourbon
Processing method: Ireme Anaerobic/experimental fermentation 72 hours/ dried on raised beds.
The altitude of the farms: 1600 – 2100 masl
The altitude of the CWS: is 1670 masl
Average yearly rainfall: 1300-1400 mm
Soil: Acidic Soil
Projects: Support farmers in organising as cooperatives and train them in governance and finances so that they can have savings for the future.
Roast: One Roast
Cup Potential: 🥣
|Aromatics: Deep sweetness, white fruit sugars| Body: medium-creamy | Acidity: Soft, and sweet.
On opening, I am welcomed by sweet, subtle, fruit sugars and simultaneously has a gentle citrus. The citrus fades into the background, with the cup being dominated by deep white and yellow fruit sugars. Think lychee and peach. In the next phase, there is a touch of boozy fruit, a little dark chocolate, and a subtle hint of background citrus. Right down to cold, this is changing with alternating jammy ripe fruits and a strikingly low acidity. This coffee is so fruity it must be at least two of my 5 a day.
Espresso:
Temp: 94C+. There is plenty here to work on without increasing the temperature.
Time: 28-35 seconds
Recipe for milk-based drinks. 18g into 34-36g
Recipe for Espresso: 16-18g of coffee into either 45g or 60g. I recommend exploring your shot length for espresso. See below.
Working from the biggest drink we do to the smallest.
Like last year, this is delicious in a 9oz milk-based drink. Think banana bread and creamy dark chocolate.
As you brew this into a shorter 6 or 5oz, you just get more pronounced dark chocolate, cacao, and creamy.
Due to the lightness of the roast, we recommend extracting this coffee for a little longer than standard espresso, if you can. The espresso is juicy and the flavour massively depends upon your recipe. I prefer a longer shot as I find the fruit sweeter.
About Gasharu Coffee.
In 1976 when he was 17 years old Celestin Rumenerangabo, my father, planted his first coffee trees in Nyamasheke. As a farmer and buyer of cherries, he grew the business to what it is today. We now have 2 washing stations, Gasharu and Muhororo, and can export beans from nearly 1650 smallholder farmers directly. Over the last 43 years, we’ve maintained an unwavering dedication to making the highest-quality coffee we can. Coffee has been critical to rebuilding our community after the 1994 Tutsi Genocide and it remains an important part of our culture and ways. With local businesses being taken over by large multinational companies, we are aware that we have to make Gasharu Coffee more resilient. We have improved our sourcing and processing methods, encouraging curiosity about innovative ideas to take coffee to the next level, producing natural, honey, and experimental processes like this one.
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