Rwanda - Shyira (anoxic washed)

A delicious anoxic washed red bourbon from Shyira in the Nyabihu District of Rwanda. It has a subtly different flavour profile to its fully washed cousin, with notes of dried apricot, grapefruit and raspberry. We currently are offering this coffee in 200g bags.

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.

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!

Once cherries are received, they are hand-picked and floated to ensure only those of the best quality continue to the anoxic processing stage. The cherries are placed into a deep cleaned fermentation tank. A sheet is placed over the cherries, which is then submerged with cool water. The seal created by the water pressing onto the sheeting creates a vacuum effect on the coffee below.

The water and sheet act as both sealant and heat exchange, allowing heat build up to transfer to the water and evaporate away. A stabilised temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius ensures that the cherry doesn’t over ferment. Once fermentation is complete, the water is drained, and the sheet is removed. The fermented coffee is rinsed and drained of all residual liquid, the cherries are pulped, and the exposed beans are washed and graded. The coffee is then dried in the sun on raised beds for two to three weeks.