RWANDA, Shyira, Nyabihu

Producer: Muraho Trading Co. 

Growing altitude: 1850-2300m above sea level.

Botanical variety: Bourbon.

Process: Washed.

Tasting notes: Molasses, blackberry, apricot, pomelo, rooibos flavours.

Roast date: 2 April, 2024

Shyira is the smallest of all of Muraho's stations, however it is the highest located known in Rwanda sitting at 1850m above sea level.

Shyira is an hour drive up the hills from the township of Musanze. The weather conditions, soil type and its high-altitude lands makes this CWS an ideal setting for high-quality coffee processing and production.

On the drive up to the CWS, when you reach on top of the Shyira hills, you will be met with a view that will take your breath away - the chain of volcanoes in between the beautiful beasts of Rwanda the Mountain Gorillas come from to the waterfalls of the wonderful Gicice river.

After cherries are brought to the Shyira station, they are pulped by machine. They’re then floated in fermentation tanks overnight, for 12 hours.  Workers then perform “ikinimba,” which consists of singing five songs while dancing and stomping on the coffee to clean off the last of the mucilage. This is intended to bring out more sweetness in the coffee.

Beans are then graded, from A1 to A4, using serpentine channels based on density and size. Finally, beans are dried for between 20 and 25 days on raised beds.

Kilimbi and the Muraho Trading Company work continuously to support and improve farmers’ coffee yields. Farmers receive second payments and bonus payments every year of production.

Combined with the valley full of white sands, fog covering hills and good weather makes Shyira truly unique and one of a kind.