Rwanda Cyato – Abadatezuka COOP – Honey Processed

Description

Our first Rwanda Honey Processed coffee and a stellar one at that! 

Abadatezuka Cooperative is a group of smallholder farmers in Rwanda’s Western Province who deliver their coffee in cherry to the Cyato Washing Station, which is located in the Cyato sector of the Nayamasheke district in that region. The producers here grow coffee at elevations all the way up to 2,200 meters above sea level, and the washing station is located at 1,850 meters above sea level. The washing station was established in 2017.

One interesting facet to coffee here is that the native honeybees that live in and around the Nyungwe forest where the coffee is grown are said to be responsible in part to the “unique profile” this coffee has. The bee-assisted pollination, fertile ground (black humus and sandy soil), and cool lake-affected climate thanks to the area’s proximity to Lake Kivu contribute to the flavors found in the cup. The farmers use no synthetic inputs, either as fertilizers or as pest control.

Tasting Notes: A stellar new-wave coffee; highly rated and exotic. Full of citric, floral and grape skin like fruitiness. We thought best served in the light to medium roast range. Higher acidity, fuller bodied with great depth to the flavors. Lighter roasts are a bit sizzling but also the most complex tasting; stronger citric/floral acidity, a little hint of a grape-skin like fruitiness balanced with a classic Rwanda spiced (herbal) chocolate undertone. Takes a little longer setup to bring out the small exotic hints in the tastes. Medium roasts build a much creamier cup profile, just a hint of crisp floral upfront that fades into a  strawberry like fruitiness, balanced with strong dark semi-sweet dark chocolate like tone. Dark roasts themselves are still very lively cups but can come off a bit sour/bitter comparatively. They are fuller bodied accentuating the robust chocolate and spice notes but not a delicate cup like the light-medium roasts.

Roasting Notes: A higher chaff coffee but will roast pretty even. A bit acidic at lighter roasts, the showiest point for this coffee, but for daily drinking we liked a medium roast a bit better.  Shoot for a classic light to medium roast, error lighter if you like bright coffees, error a little darker if not. Setup time is important, on these complex coffees, most think they are best between day 5-14 after roasting. We thought it plenty tasty to start drinking after 24 hours, but did improve as it setup further.

Honey Processing:
Honey-processed coffees go through steps similar to washed, with one notable difference – the amount of mucilage left on the seed before drying. After the cherries are collected and sorted, the coffee is typically depulped and fermented. During fermentation, washed coffees will have all the mucilage broken down and removed from the seeds. In honey-processed coffees, the fermentation is cut short, leaving some mucilage still intact on the seeds. The coffee will then dry with this mucilage intact, often contributing a denser texture, more sugar browning, and fruit notes to the final cup.