This coffee stands out for its intense and fruity sweetness, reminiscent of peaches in syrup and freshly peeled tangerines.
That citrus note gives it a medium-high and very lively acidity, with a juicy and rounded texture. Milk chocolate appears as a creamy backdrop, a characteristic hallmark of Red Bourbon, providing warmth and body on the palate with a sweet and prolonged aftertaste.
The overall result is very expressive and fruity, with a complex profile and a medium body, yet very easy to drink. Perfect both on its own and with milk.
HISTORY
Kilimbi is one of the first two washing stations to receive approval from NAEB to produce natural and honey processed coffee in Rwanda. Its altitude is ideal for producing exceptional washed, honey, and natural coffees. The drying beds stretch across a large open plain, where airflow and sunlight have maximum exposure to the coffee as it dries.
Built in 2016, this washing station is the birthplace of Muraho Trading Company, as it was their very first station. One distinctive feature of Kilimbi is that it is only accessible by boat, with farmers crossing Lake Kivu to deliver cherries from their farms.
Its estimated annual production is around 33,300 kg of green coffee, processed each harvest across natural, washed, and honey lots.
Muraho Trading Co. supports affiliated cooperatives in improving coffee quality, achieving higher prices for their crops, and accessing new markets. This is an ongoing effort that will continue over the coming years, as a deeper understanding is developed of the specific challenges faced by coffee producers in Rwanda.
Through this process, a model is being built that creates incentives to strengthen producer commitment while maximizing overall impact.
VARIETY & PROCESS
The variety of this coffee is Red Bourbon. Bourbon is a historic variety, originally from the island of Bourbon (now Réunion), derived from Arabica plants brought from Yemen in the 18th century. Red Bourbon is a specific subvariety known for producing red cherries when ripe. It has been widely cultivated in Rwanda, where the climate and volcanic soils maximize its potential, and it represents a benchmark of quality and tradition in the region.
The process is natural. All cherries are hand-sorted before a pre-pulping flotation stage, removing unripe or damaged cherries as well as any foreign matter. They are then placed in flotation tanks to separate floaters, after which they are pulped.
The coffee is evenly spread on raised beds, allowing for constant airflow and keeping it elevated to avoid contact with moisture and animals. It dries for 30 days, with frequent turning during peak sunlight hours and covering at night. Once fully dried, the outer dried fruit is removed, leaving the coffee beans ready to be sorted and packed.
RECIPE
For espresso:
Use a 17-gram dose to extract 45 grams of final beverage in the cup in 26 seconds.
For filtered coffee:
We use 20 grams of ground coffee and 310 grams of water at 93 °C. We do three pours. The first one is 54 grams, we wait 45 seconds, and then we do two pours of 128 grams, with a total time of 2'27”.
