Rwanda Mwito Red Bourbon

TASTING NOTES
Apricot marmalade, oolong tea, rich chocolate, almond & toffee.

ORIGIN
West Nyamasheke, Rwanda

HEIGHT
1350 MASL 

VARIETAL
Red Bourbon

PROCESS
Natural

PRODUCER
Smallholder Producers

On the remote shores of Lake Kivu, where Rwanda’s rolling hills meet deep blue water, Mwito Coffee Washing Station sits quietly removed from the country’s more established coffee routes. For years, the farmers here worked in isolation - long journeys, limited infrastructure, and little visibility beyond their own community.

When Rwanda Trading Company took over the station in 2017, the focus wasn’t just on processing coffee, but on building something sustainable around it. Farmers were mapped and grouped by neighborhood to improve access to agronomy training, helping lift both yields and quality. A kindergarten was established in 2019, now supporting over 150 children, while a small herd of cows provides organic fertilizer for a five-hectare model farm - and fresh milk for the students each day.

Coffee here is grown around 1,350 MASL on small family plots, where Red Bourbon trees thrive in the region’s rich volcanic soils. Harvest is entirely manual, with ripe cherries carefully selected before being delivered to Mwito.

For this natural lot, Red Bourbon cherries are handpicked and briefly fermented in cherry before being carefully laid out to dry whole on raised African beds under shade for 11–14 days. The fruit remains intact throughout, allowing sugars to slowly concentrate as the coffee dries. Constant turning ensures even moisture loss, preserving clarity while building that signature natural sweetness - a process that demands patience and precision, especially in the humid air drifting off Lake Kivu.

The result is a lively, fruit-driven cup with a tangy sweet-and-sour edge - think apricot marmalade - before soft florals and oolong tea notes bring a gentle, tea-like structure. As it settles, richer layers of chocolate, almond and toffee come through, giving the coffee depth and a smooth, rounded finish.

It's such a nice coffee - a big Kubuzima bwacu (cheers) to everyone at RTC and producers of Mwito!

BREW GUIDES
We recommend the following recipes as a starting points 

Espresso
Dose: 21 grams  
Brew temperature: 93.5ºC
Bar Pressure: 8.0 
Brew time: 24 - 28 sec  
Brew weight: 48 - 50 grams 
Brew Ratio: 1:2.2-2.4

Pour Over
Brew temperature: 94ºC
20g in 320ml out (~1:16 brew ratio)

Espresso recipe developed on a La Marzocco Linea using 20g baskets and should be taken as a starting point, not set in stone as different machines extract in different ways.

Pour Over recipe developed using Hario v60 and dry (not pre-wet) filter paper. Have fun experimenting.

We ship freshly roasted coffee Monday - Friday and aim to dispatch within 24 hours. Orders placed after midday Thursday may not ship until the following week. 

Please see our FAQ for all shipping details.