Rwanda - Cyiya

Bourbon is one of the most widely known and oldest varietals of Arabica. The varietal was introduced to and named after the island of Bourbon (now known as Reunion Island) by French missionaries from Yemen in the early 1700s. It spread through Africa and the Americas in the mid 1800s. Many varietals today have a lineage tied to the Bourbon varietal. Bourbon is known to have great cup quality but has medium-low volume per-plant production and is susceptible to all of the major coffee diseases. 

Bourbon can produce various color cherries - red, orange, yellow, purple - with red being the most common. The famous, but misnamed, "pink bourbon" of Colombia is not a bourbon at all but rather a cross of Ethiopian Landrace and Colombian hybrids.

This coffee is washed using the double fermentation process typical in East Africa. After the coffee cherries are delivered to the mill, they are floated in clean water to separate the less dense (damaged, unripe and overripe) cherries from the ripe. After floating, the cherries are then depulped and are dry-ferementd in open air tanks for 15-18 hours.

After the initial fermentation is complete, the seeds are washed and gravity sorted using washing channels. The dense seeds are then soaked in clean water in fermentation tanks for 15-20 hours.

After soaking, the coffee is moved to shaded, raised beds where it is then sorted again to remove any remaining defects.

The coffee is dried for around two weeks with further separation and sorting throughout the drying process.

Nyamasheke District sits in Rwanda’s Western Province along the eastern shores of Lake Kivu, a region widely regarded as one of the country’s most favorable environments for high-quality coffee production. The area is defined by steep mountains, high elevations often exceeding 1,800 meters, and volcanic soils that are rich in organic material. Cool nighttime temperatures and mild daytime conditions allow coffee cherries to mature slowly, which promotes dense seed structure and the development of complex sugars that translate to clarity and sweetness in the cup. Coffee from Nyamasheke is frequently associated with the classic profile that has made Rwanda one of East Africa’s most respected origins.

Most coffee in Nyamasheke is grown by smallholder producers working very small plots, often less than a hectare, on the hillsides surrounding centralized washing stations. Bourbon remains the dominant varietal, valued for its balance, structure, and ability to express subtle differences in micro-climate. Harvest typically takes place during the long dry season, when stable weather allows for careful picking and controlled drying. Processing at the best stations in the district is meticulous, with strict cherry selection and slow drying practices that preserve the character of the fruit.

The combination of high elevation, volcanic soil, traditional Bourbon varieties, and disciplined processing methods consistently produces coffees with bright, structured acidity, refined sweetness, and a clean, tea-like finish. At their best, Nyamasheke coffees show both the vibrancy associated with East Africa and a softness that gives the cup balance and depth rather than intensity alone.