Manhattan Coffee Roasters - Shyira | Rwanda

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Rwanda — Muraho Trading Company Shyira Washing Station Red Bourbon (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍊 Sweet Orange • 🫐 Redcurrant • 🌿 Rooibos

DETAILS

• Producer: Various Smallholders — Muraho Trading Company
• Station: Shyira Washing Station
• Region: Nyabihu, Rwanda
• Varietal: Red Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,850–2,300 MASL

INTRO

From the Shyira Washing Station in Nyabihu — the highest washing station in Rwanda, and one of the most intriguing. A region known locally as the "place of darkness" for its frequent heavy cloud cover and intense rainy seasons, yet producing some of Rwanda's most unique and sought-after specialty coffees. In the cup: sweet orange, redcurrant, and rooibos, with a juicy mouthfeel throughout.

THE PRODUCER

Muraho Trading Company was founded in 2016 by brothers Karthick and Gaudam with a clear and purposeful mission: to redefine how Rwandan coffee is cultivated, elevate its quality to exceptional levels, and ensure that the farmers producing it benefit in meaningful and lasting ways. The Shyira station — Muraho's second, after the founding Kilimbi station — sits in Nyabihu, a district not traditionally associated with coffee production. At 1,850–2,300 MASL, it is the highest washing station in Rwanda, and the extreme altitude, persistent cloud cover, and challenging terrain of Nyabihu create both significant hurdles and exceptional growing conditions simultaneously.

The community's resilience is as remarkable as the coffee itself — when a storm recently damaged the pulper at Muraho's nearby Vunga station, the community quickly rallied to repair it together, demonstrating exactly the kind of dedication and spirit that makes this region's coffee so remarkable. Red Bourbon, mandated as Rwanda's national cultivar, thrives in Nyabihu's volcanic soils and cool, high-altitude environment — producing the bright acidity, juicy sweetness, and refined fruit character that define this lot.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Shyira involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe Red Bourbon cherries selectively harvested by surrounding smallholder producers 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds to optimal moisture content

The meticulous washed processing at Rwanda's highest washing station is the defining step — by stripping back all fruit influence and fermenting cleanly, Shyira allows the intrinsic sweet orange brightness, redcurrant acidity, and rooibos tea character of this high-altitude Red Bourbon to express themselves with exceptional clarity and juiciness.

THE CUP

A juicy, bright, and beautifully expressive washed Red Bourbon from Rwanda's highest washing station — sweet orange and redcurrant vibrancy with a warm rooibos tea note and a lively, juicy mouthfeel that speaks of the extraordinary altitude and the resilient community behind every cup. Nyabihu's darkness, producing exceptional light.

Flavour Notes

🍊 Sweet Orange 🫐 Redcurrant 🌿 Rooibos