Rwanda has become one of the most stable countries on the African continent in the years following the devastating 1994 genocide. The Rwandan economy has seen an average annual growth of 7%-8% since 2003, which reflects the nation’s ongoing commitment to regeneration and progress. This growth is owed in part to Rwanda’s coffee sector, which is strongly supported by the Rwandan government, international investment, and effective trade rules focused on exporting.

Shyira Washing Station, from where Cedar’s first Rwandan coffee of 2024 hails, is a relatively small washing station found in the rolling hills of the Nyabihu District in the North-West of Rwanda. The station belongs to the Muraho Trading Company, a Rwandan coffee exporter founded by brothers Karthick and Gaudam Anbalagan, who began their coffee journey with one fundamental goal: to put Rwanda’s incredible specialty coffee, and in turn the country itself and its people, on display for world. Moreover, MTCo. is also committed to closely supporting its farmers, improving their livelihoods and coffee yields in tandem.

Shyira, which sits around 2000 masl and has a view of the nearby chain of Virunga volcanoes, is purposefully MTCo.’s smallest washing station in terms of both literal size and production volume. This more reserved scale allows the station to focus intently on each and every microlot it produces, maximising quality and bringing to the fore unique flavour profiles one might not always expect to find in Rwandan coffee.

Phaedon’s tasting notes

I think my love for classic Rwandan coffees, invariably washed Red Bourbons, began while cupping coffees with Mike MacDonald who was at Origin Coffee Roasting in those days. He helped me appreciate the quality of great Rwandan lots, as well as the spectrum of delicious flavours and characteristics that one could enjoy, drinking nothing but this one particular variety, processed in this one, traditional way. This coffee reminds me of those early experiences of specialty Rwandan.

In the cup, this coffee is deliciously juicy, bright and clear. It is undoubtedly fruity, stone fruity in fact. I may differ from my friends at Cedar in that I picked up nectarine rather than peach, specifically, but clearly we found flavours in the same family (to be fair, nectarine does not appear on the SCA flavour wheel). I also savoured the honey sweetness that I detected in every cup. I found this coffee at its absolute best in immersion methods like the AeroPress and siphon, but I also found it made an absolutely delicious Chemex brew, with a nice long draw-down time, as well as a very tasty moka pot brew, suggesting the possibility of great espresso extractions as well.

Cedar’s notes

“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.”

• Cup Profile: Red flesh peach, honey, oat biscuit

Coffee details from Cedar

“Our first Rwandan for the year 2024 and it's a beauty; highlights 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 being 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. “

• Farm/Producer: Shyira Washing Station
• Region: Rwanda, Nyabihu District
• Country: Rwanda
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2000 - 2400 masl
• Variety: Red Bourbon

You can find more coffees from Cedar here.