Rwanda produces some of the best coffee in Africa and the Bourbon variety (no Bourbon in it) has become one of the most sought-after gourmet coffees in the world.
You can find it in speciality coffee shops (like our roasters this month — Horsham Coffee Roasters) and in most well known U.S.A coffee shops as well.
Rwandans working together to produce some of the best gourmet coffee in Africa that when it comes to coffee has put Rwanda on the map of gourmet coffee drinkers around the world. The Bwishaza is no exception.
Flavour Profile of Bwishaza
The speed of drying and thickness of the bed of this particular coffee cherry can significantly affect the transfer of flavours.
A medium thick layer helps to slow the drying and to induce more fermentation and funky fruit flavours. In this particular case, it’s resulted in a wonderfully complex coffee with juicy strawberry flavours and a rich creamy body.
Coffee Grown in Rwanda
There are about 400,000 families who farm coffee in Rwanda. The average family owns around 450 coffee trees making this a profitable business for each Rwandan family.
Farmers will hand harvest the red bourbon coffee cherries and deliver on the same day to the washing station. The coffee is then hand sorted before processing. Rwanda typically produces excellent washed coffees, but really great natural processed coffees are quite rare.
Ripe red bourbon cherries are selected by hand after delivery to the washing station and laid to dry in a layer of medium thickness (about 2-3 cherries in depth).
Rwanda coffee fetches some of the world’s highest prices and is sought after by coffee giants and gurus around the world.
Horsham Coffee Roasters
Horsham Coffee Roasters began their journey through a stall at the Horsham food market, in the heart of Sussex and, of course, it became their namesake.
Bradley and Amelia, the brilliant minds behind Horsham Coffee Roasters first visited Rwanda in 2014 and over the last few years, they have developed some very close relationships.
Every year they visit Bwishaza co-operative, a group of around 500 farmers who produce fantastic coffee for the company.
Both Amelia and Bradley, as well as their team are committed to supporting these Rwandan coffee farmers with an open and transparent working relationship and ensuring that they are paid a fair price for their work and their products.
To experience full flavoured coffees like the Bwishaza blend, be sure and sign up for a Blue Coffee Box Subscription. Click here for more details and to find out how you can get your first box!
Information Source: NPR
Leave a Reply