Rwanda - Shyira

A delicious anoxic washed red bourbon from Shyira in the Nyabihu District of Rwanda with notes of apricot, redcurrant and smooth caramel. We currently are offering this special coffee in 200g bags to make it more affordable.

Our friends at Raw Material work alongside Muraho Trading Co. to help affiliate co-operatives increase their quality of production, fetch a higher price for their coffee, and introduce them to new markets.

Built in 2017, Shyira Washing Station is a station situated at 2000 MASL, collecting cherry from neighbouring producers that live between 2000 - 2400 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. It has a river running through the base of the station making water access no issue. All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, underripe or damaged cherry is removed, along with any foreign objects. Next, cherry is floated in pre-pulping tanks removing any floaters and then pulped. Coffee is later fermented in dedicated concrete fermentation tanks for an average of 8 hours. During this time the ferment parchment is agitated several times throughout the day by way of ceremonial foot-stomping.

Every Muraho washing station has its own washing station song. These have been created to instil a sense of pride and ownership to both full time and casual workers. Throughout the day groups of staff join together in song, dancing in the fermentation tanks, singing through five iterations of their song while stomping on the parchment. The process takes about 20 minutes and all the while, the fermentation process is assisted with the agitation of the coffee during the fermentation stage. This process is quite an experience to partake in!