Rwanda - Shyira Espresso

Brew Guide:

Best Brewed with: Espresso, Moka Pot, Immersion (French Press/Aeropress)

Medium-Light Roaster Influence: Naturally super high acidity, we've been progressively extending the time in the roaster and the heat of the roast as we've profiled this coffee, trading acids for syrupy sweetness and deep spice notes.

Best rested for: 2-3 weeks

Filter: 65g/L, 93°C Water, with rest we like to move down to 91°C

Espresso: 18g, 42g, 28-32s

We're tasting:

Dense and concentrated stone & orchard fruit - baked plums, apple and nectarine. A softly perfumed florality akin to rosehip tea leads the aromatics, with some sweet mixed citrus notes in the finish. As it cools, a warming note of dried ginger & maple syrup becomes apparent.

Traceability

The Story

Rwandan coffee holds a special place in our hearts - a unique and consistent flavour profile, and landing throughout winter with fresh crops when other East African greens might be starting to get a little tired - in this period, Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi get their time to shine.

One thing that sets Shyira’s quality apart from other stations is the altitudes of the farms that surround it - with some farms broaching a whopping 2400 MASL, the harvest can be somewhat delayed due to the cooler climes at altitude, with the best of Shyira arriving on later containers. When Gaudam and Karthick Anbalagan (the founders of the Muraho Trading Company, Raw Material’s in-country export partner) set up Shyira, the focus was always intended on the highest possible quality with a smaller station - the location is somewhat outside of the usual coffee production areas and less served by other washing stations. Nestled on a hillside abreast the Gicice river, the location and consistent output of Shyira is testament to the work that Muraho and Raw Material have put in

Smallholder farmers will deliver cherry to Shyira continually throughout the harvest period - bringing in sacks on the back of bicycles or carried by hand. Farmers are paid on the spot according to the weight and quality of cherry delivered, with a second premium paid once the coffee has been exported. Rather than favouring just those who happened to deliver cherry on the specific days that the anoxic lots were processed, the income from the higher value coffee is added to the collective second payment - ensuring all 765 farmers who deliver coffee to Shyira benefit, true maximum impact coffee.