Rwanda
- Region:
- Nyamasheke District
- Varietal:
- Red Bourbon
- Process:
- Washed
- Tastes:
- Canteloupe, Jasmine, Green Apple
- Roast Profile:
- Filter
Cyesha (pronounced Cheh-sha) is located in Nyamasheke District, close to the shores of Lake Kivu. The coffee of this area grows on volcanic soils, a highly fertile medium for the cultivation of high-quality red bourbon cherries.
All cherry is hand-sorted before floating, where under ripe or damaged cherry is removed, and the remaining fruit is de-pulped. Next, it is fermented in dedicated concrete fermentation tanks for an average of 12 hours. During this time, the fermented parchment is agitated several times through the day by way of ceremonial foot-stomping.
After fermentation, coffee is released into a large serpentine grading channel. This process also separates parchment into different density grades.
During the washing process, parchment is continuously agitated to encourage lower density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage off the parchment.
Once the parchment is separated into grades, it is given a final rinse. At this point, coffee is taken to an area where the parchment is hand-sorted, removing any insect-damaged, discoloured, or chipped coffee. The parchment is laid out to dry and turned regularly for 30 days.