Rwanda — Kanzu Washing Station Red Bourbon (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Apricot • 🍯 Honeycomb • 🍊 Tangerine • 🍵 Black Tea

DETAILS

• Station: Kanzu Washing Station
• Region: West of Lake Kivu, Rwanda
• Varietal: Red Bourbon
• Process: Washed (Dry Fermentation)
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Harvest: May

INTRO

From the Kanzu washing station, nestled west of the blue-green waters of Lake Kivu — a mineral-rich volcanic landscape where smallholder farmers cultivate Red Bourbon alongside bananas, sugar cane, and beans. Balanced, sweet, and beautifully clean throughout the drinking experience. In the cup: apricot, honeycomb, tangerine, and black tea.

THE PRODUCER

The Kanzu station sits against the verdant hills west of Lake Kivu, where ancient volcanic ash has enriched the surrounding soil with minerals that contribute directly to the complexity and sweetness of the coffees grown here. Smallholder producers bring their Red Bourbon cherry to the station beginning in March, with harvest stretching through to July — a longer season than most Rwandan stations, carefully managed through lot separation into outturns, much in the way Kenya approaches its harvest.

Rwanda's coffee industry has undergone a remarkable transformation since the mid-1990s, driven in large part by focused aid efforts and infrastructure development coordinated by USAID and Dr. Tim Schilling, who led the establishment of collection stations and cooperatives across the country. Those foundations have enabled Rwanda to build the burgeoning international reputation for bright, floral, and citrus-forward specialty coffee that the Kanzu station exemplifies today.

Red Bourbon — one of the oldest and most celebrated Arabica varieties — thrives in the volcanic soils and cool highland conditions of western Rwanda, producing the pronounced sweetness, stone fruit character, and refined acidity that make lots like this so consistently rewarding in the cup.

THE PROCESS

The Washed Dry Fermentation process at Kanzu involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe Red Bourbon cherries selectively harvested and delivered to the station 💧 Flotation — Floated upon arrival to separate lower-density cherries as an initial quality check 🔧 Disc pulping — Cherries pulped through a McKinnon disc pulper to remove the outer skin 🧪 Dry fermentation — Mucilage-covered seeds fermented dry for up to 18 hours 💧 Channel washing — Parchment washed through channels after fermentation ♻️ Wastewater treatment — Runoff treated with Effective Microorganisms (EM Technologies) to manage erosion and protect local water resources ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds for approximately 15 days

The up-to-18-hour dry fermentation is the defining step — fermenting without water builds the clean, balanced sweetness and stone fruit character that define this lot, while the responsible wastewater treatment speaks to the community-focused ethos that has made Kanzu a model station in the region.

THE CUP

A balanced, sweet, and beautifully clean washed Red Bourbon from one of western Rwanda's most thoughtfully managed stations — apricot and honeycomb sweetness, tangerine brightness, and a classic black tea finish that speaks clearly of the mineral-rich volcanic terroir and the care behind every stage of production.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Apricot 🍯 Honeycomb 🍊 Tangerine 🍵 Black Tea