This coffee is a little bit different from other washed Rwandans. When it came as a sample, I was ready to wave my BUF flag in resistance, but this is intriguingly subtle and really interesting. If you are into statistics, there are some differences that make this comparable to a washed Yirgacheffe, but varietal and terroir-wise you keep that characteristic of a great Rwandan coffee. Hmm! That was very coffee-waffle. It tastes great…and because of the body, I really want you to try this as a filter. I am avoiding this going near any of my espresso machines….although it could.
Top Trumps:
Name: Shyira Coffee Washing Station
Producer Partner: Muraho Trading Company
Location: Nyabihu, Western Province Rwanda.
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Fully Washed. 12 hours in fermentation tanks, Dried on raised beds over a 30 day period.
The altitude of the farms:2000-2400 masl (1.5 miles above sea level) This is as high as some Ethiopian Highland coffee and even that of Bolivia.
Roast: Medium Filter. We would primarily recommend this as a filter brew because it is just so good!
Cup Potential:
|Aromatics:Marmalade| Body: Light (tea-like)| Acidity: Marmalade|
On opening in “perfect coffee water” this shy gem of a Rwandan coffee play-acts that it might just become chocolatey, then it turns out that it is anything but! Soft, deep, clean citrus. The softest, mildest, washed coffee from Rwanda ever? Brown sugar, soft citrus, ranging from ripe grapefruit to an easy-peeler (there’s a new one!). Once this gets all of the way down to cool, there is a touch of savoury spice, but that is if you are the one who can sit with coffee, cooling in your cafetiere for an hour? I have taken this coffee home and it has still been sparkling with the worst that Severn Trent can offer us and two small filters.
In V60 this has a more subtle acidity and softer, less brightness, although still completely delicious.
About this lot:
Shyira coffee washing station was founded in 2017. Collecting cherry from producers in the surrounding area between 2000 and 2400 meters above sea level. This is amongst if not the highest-grown coffee in Rwanda and it is in an area with very few other washing stations. In the process at Shyira, there is a lot of manual attention to quality and if you have been lucky enough to try Vunga CWS, you may notice the slightly longer fermentation time, yet an average of 5 days shorter in drying time. This surprises me, as usually there is more moisture in the air, and cooler as you increase altitude. OK, I need to go to Rwanda. Simple answer.
Once the damaged or floating cherry is discarded, the cherry is floated into pre-pulping tanks. The coffee is then fermented in concrete tanks for about 12 hours. In this time, the fermenting coffee in parchment is agitated throughout the day in a ceremonial foot-stomping. This takes many feet and about 20 minutes. The agitation assists the fermentation. The coffee is then graded for size and density, hand-sorted again, and then dried on raised beds, where it is turned throughout the day.
