C031: 

Farm/Producer:  Shyira Washing Station

Region: Rwanda, Nyabihu District

Process:  Washed

Altitude: 2000 - 2400 masl

Variety: Red Bourbon

Cup Profile: Red flesh peach, honey, oat biscuit

Background info: 

Our first Rwandan for the year 2024 and it's a beauty; highlighting the terroir perfectly in the cup. Let us dial it back before we discuss what's in the cup. Shyira washing station was built in 2017 collecting and processing cherries of neighbouring farmers. It is also known as one of the highest-located washing stations in Rwanda.

All cherries are hand-sorted before pre-pulped, meaning they are placed in floatation tanks where they remove cherries that float to the top. The coffee is then fermented in concrete tanks for 12 hours during this time the fermented parchment is agitated throughout the day by way of ceremonial foot stomping. This encourages low-density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage. The parchment is then separated and graded before a final post-wash rinse.

This washing station is close to Vunga, the first-ever Rwanda we brought. Funny enough both lots were on the cupping table recently and we were tempted to choose Vunga out of nostalgia. Shyira stood out more, we tend to go with our palate and remove all biases when deciding on our next coffee to showcase. 

Straight from the cupping table to the lab, we picked up stonefruit notes, red flesh peach specifically with an acidity that makes your mouth salivate for more. This is balanced out well by a honey sweetness that becomes more prominent in our espresso tasting. Adding milk toned down all the fruitiness, the honey sweetness with milk reminded us of the taste of oat biscuits.