SHYIRA WASHING STATION, Washed Lot

A beautiful example of a washed coffee from Rwanda. This lot has loads of complexity and is incredibly clean and juicy. We taste redcurrants, blackberries and grapefruit.

CULTIVAR: Red Bourbon
PREPARATION: Fully Washed
LOCATION: Nyamasheke District
ALTITUDE: 2,000 - 2,400 masl
PRICE PAID: £10.21/kg

Built in 2017, Shyira Washing Station is situated at a really high altitude of 2,000 masl, collecting cherry from neighbouring producers that live between 2,000 – 2,400 masl. This is the highest grown coffee we know of in Rwanda, and it’s from a region where very few washing stations are located, making it somewhat unique. It also happens to be located in one of the most stunning areas in Rwanda and has a river running through the base of the station providing ample water for processing.

Upon arrival, all cherry is hand-sorted before being floated in water to remove underripe or damaged cherries, along with any foreign objects. After pulping to remove the skin and some of the fruit, the coffee is fermented in dedicated concrete fermentation tanks for an average of 8 hours. During this time the fermenting parchment coffee is agitated several times throughout the day by way of ceremonial foot-stomping. This encourages lower density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage off the parchment.

Once the fermentation has done its work the coffee is separated into different density grades using a large serpentine grading channel; the seeds with lowest density float to the bottom of the channel. The clean, parchment coffee is then given a final post-wash rinse before being taken to a pre-drying area where the coffee is hand-sorted, removing any insect-damaged, discoloured or chipped seeds. The parchment is finally laid out to dry where it is turned on a regular basis throughout the day for a period of 30 days.