Rwanda - Busanze Natural

Notes of Apple Tart, Raspberry and Black Tea A unique coffee that balances fruity notes with quintessential Rwandan coffee notes Longform Taste Description: Busanze offers a wide range of flavors depending on how it is brewed. We get lots of red grape and apple acidity off the bat. Baking spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and hints of clove and star anise are joined by the sweetness of corn syrup or malted barley. The result of these melding flavors is baked apples, spiced raisin, and an overall impression of apple tart. Berry, primarily strawberry and raspberry, is also present; as is sweet, malty, black tea. In cups with a higher brew ratio, milk chocolate blends with the grainy sweetness to create a flavor reminiscent of tootsie roll. Producer Notes: This coffee is from the Nyaruguru district of Rwanda which borders Kayanza, Burundi. Busanze is the name of the mill that serves the 81 member cooperative that produced this coffee. The cooperative is composed of 51 female-owned farms and has won national recognition for the quality of their coffee. As is the case with neighboring Kayanza, the farms that produced this coffee grow the Red Bourbon variety, which contributes to the sweetness and overall high quality of this coffee. The coffee was processed as what they term a “minimal-intervention natural:” coffee is hand picked, floated to remove less dense coffee, hand sorted, and sun-dried over a relatively short period of time. The result is a coffee that balances the red fruity notes and syrupy sweetness of a natural with the clarity and crispness of a washed coffee. Overall, the coffee tastes more similarly to a black honey processed coffee than a traditional, longer fermented, natural. Brew Notes: We recommend using around a 1:15 brew ratio for this coffee. To highlight the fruit notes, it is best to use water around 195F for no longer than three and a half minutes. Coffee Details: Varieties: Red Bourbon Processing Method: Minimal Intervention Natural Process Producer: 81 Smallholder Farmers, Busanze Washing Station Altitude: 5600–6600’