Shyira is a washing station owned by the Muraho Trading Co. who work closely with Raw Material, the importer who we bought this coffee from. We cupped with Mat from RM at a public cupping he put on with our pals Hard Lines in Cardiff, and the Shyira coffees really stood out as delicious examples of what Rwandan coffee can taste like. We purchased two lots, one of them washed and the other natural, and we’d highly recommend picking up a box of each and tasting them side by side-- it’s a great way to get an understanding of the impact of processing on cup profile!
This lot is the natural. It was probably my personal favourite when tasting, and the one that felt the most like a "Skylark coffee." It’s got loads of big juicy fruit notes and is clean and sweet. This lot, like most from Rwanda, is a Red Bourbon. Historically the government (specifically the National Agricultural Export Board or NAEB) has been very supportive but strict about farming and giving out seedlings and fertiliser to farmers. More recently some loosening of legislation has led to farmers having access to other varietals, but for the time being it’s still mainly all Red Bourbon. Rwandan Red Bourbon is known for its distinctive flavour profile, orangey, sweet and deep.
Shyira washing station sits at 1850 metres above sea level so it is already quite high, but the township and smallholder farmers that it works with are generally working at even higher altitudes in the region of 2000-2400 MASL. It also has a river which is channelled into the station to process coffee, all great conditions for growing and processing quality coffee. Since its construction in 2017 the station has been steadily improving and growing, providing stability and growth to the local farmers. Raw Material give profits back to the producers they work with after green coffee is sold.
For this lot cherries were floated and sorted for density, with floating cherries removed (generally underdeveloped and defective cherries will be less dense). The cherries are then further sorted and cleaned so that they are ready to be dried on raised beds. The cherries are laid evenly on beds and turned regularly, drying for 30 days, and covered at night to retain moisture and slow the fermentation process.
Elevation: 2000 meters above sea level
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Cup Score: 87.5
Price paid per kilo: £11.80 per kg
