Rwanda - Cyiya - Washed Red Bourbon
We taste: notes of meyer lemon, black tea and rose complemented by pie spice tones and a raw sugar sweetness.
Producer: Small-holder producers Murundo Coffee Washing Station
Region: Cyiya Village, Nyamasheke District, Western Provence, Rwanda
Elevation: 1,700 - 1,900 meters above sea level
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Fully Washed
Coffee Story
This coffee comes to us from the Murundo Coffee Washing station in western Rwanda. Murundo station serves around 500 small-holder producers and this lot specifically comes from 100 producers who are growing coffee near the village of Cyiya, an area surrounded by Nyungwe National Forest Park known for virgin forests which support health gorilla populations. The area has a high elevation, cool, humid climate, a biosphere rich in oxygen and volcanic seepage, caused by the East African Rift, which enriches the area's soil.
Like most of the best coffees coming out of Rwanda, this coffee is a Bourbon varietal. The Rwandan terroir, with its rich, volcanic soil, complements the varietal characteristics - deep sweetness, complex acidity and silky body. In this coffee specifically, this translates to a cup full of fresh citrus notes, complemented by a raw sugar sweetness and aromas of baking spices and floral tea.
Brew Guide
Hario V60 Dripper
This coffee is tasting best with a slightly wider brew ratio. We recommend starting with a 1:15 ratio and pushing it a bit more if more delicate florality is desired.
Recipe
Coffee: 25 grams
Grind size: 5.5 on the Fellow Ode (medium)
Water: 375 grams at 205˚F
Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:15
Brew Time: 3:00
Method
1. Rinse filter
2. Add ground coffee
3. Start timer and saturate grounds with 50g, or so, of water.
4. Let bloom 45 seconds to one minute.
5. Slowly pour another 285g of water on the coffee, taking care to evenly saturate the grounds. You should end up with 335g of water poured by about 2:25.
6. Swirl brewer to ensure an even draw down of water through the bed of coffee.
7. After all water draws down, remove the brewer from your carafe.
8. Add 40 grams fresh, hot water to the carafe to dilute the brew to the proper strength.
9. Swirl the carafe once more to ensure the brew is homogenized.
10. Pour and enjoy!
Brew Guide
This intense aeropresso brew results in a very vibrant cup with strong citrus and floral notes and a full, silky body.
Recipe
Coffee: 16 grams
Grind size: 4 on the Fellow Ode (medium-fine)
Water: 200g at 200˚F
Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:12.5
Brew Time: 1:30
Method
1. Rinse filter
2. Invert aeropress and add ground coffee
3. Start timer and saturate grounds with 50g water. Stir coffee slurry to ensure all of the grounds are saturated.
4. Let bloom 30 seconds.
5. Add another 100g water to the brewer and stir.
6. At 1:00 stir coffee again and screw filter onto top of brewer.
7. Flip brewer onto a carafe or cup and press the plunger slowly and evenly so that you have finished the press at 1:30.
8. Add 50g clean, hot water to the carafe or cup.
9. Stir or swirl to ensure your brew is properly mixed. Pour and enjoy.