Rwanda
Philippe Sinoyobye

Philippe is a member of the Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa Maraba cooperative, who own their own dry mill where they can process smaller lots individually, whilst minimising cost and maintaining excellent quality standards. Typically in Rwana, single producer micro-lots like this one are not common.

Washed process Red Bourbon

Flavour: cherry, golden sultana, and mandarin

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

It is extremely rare to be able to get a coffee that is traceable back to a single producer in Rwanda, so we feel extremely fortunate to be able to share this special micro-lot from Philippe Sinoyobye.

Most of the coffees we source from Rwanda are traceable back to a washing station, or sometimes a farmer group. Most washing stations in Rwanda receive cherry from hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of farmers who own very small plots of land – on average less than a quarter hectare, with just 300-600 coffee trees. Separation of such tiny lots is expensive and impractical, so the large majority of coffees are processed as a mixed lot from multiple producers. Typically, lots are separated as day lots (ie. cherries that were all picked on the same day) rather than by a single farm or producer group.

Single producer micro-lots like this one are not common. In this case, it is made possible due to the size of Philippe’s farm, which totals 0.7 hectares and some 2000 coffee trees (making it over double the average size farm). Philippe is also a member of the Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa Maraba cooperative, who own their own dry mill where they can process smaller lots individually, whilst minimising cost and maintaining excellent quality standards.

The farm sits at 1,800 meters above sea level and is managed by Philippe with the help of his wife. In total, they produce around 6,000kg of cherry each year. Philippe’s coffee is processed at the nearby Kabuye washing station.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Red Bourbon coffee beans, provided by Melbourne Coffee Merchants and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

Producer: Philippe Sinoyobye
Country: Rwanda
Region: Huye District
Altitude: 1800m above sea level
Varietals: Red Bourbon
Process: washed
Harvested: October 2021
Body: Medium
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Cherry, golden sultana, and mandarin
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varietals

Red Bourbon varietal

The location

Coffee from Rwanda

Since the genocide of 1994, coffee has come to represent a symbol of recovery and regrowth for Rwanda.

The Southern and Western Region region of Rwanda

Centred around 3 main areas; the Huye mountains, the Nyamagabe region, and the Nyamasheke region in close proximity to Lake Kivu

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.