Fugi Kiyonza Hill Baho Coffee and Emmanuel Rusatira - Washed Red Bourbon - Rwanda

Whole Bean
Roast: Light
Recommended Rest: 4-6 weeks from roast date
Tasting Notes: d’anjou pear, sage, honey, lime

Origin Details

Region: Ngoma Sector, Nyaruguru District, Rwanda
Elevation: 1800-2000masl
Producer: Baho Coffee and Emmanuel Rusatira, Fugi Kiyonza Hill
Process: Washed
Variety: Red Bourbon

ABOUT THIS COFFEE AND PRODUCER

Located in the Southern Province of Rwanda, Fugi is nestled between the Nyungwe National Forest and the border of Burundi. It produces consistently excellent washed, natural, and experimentally processed lots. 

In recent years Fugi has transformed into what Emmanuel has called Baho’s hub for innovation, with now over 50% of Fugi’s production dedicated to honey, natural, and anaerobic style processing. Fugi has additionally served as homebase for numerous pilot projects - like the first women producer group, a parabolic drying structure, and a small composting facility producing organic fertilizers. 

Fugi was built in 2013, but it was purchased by Emmanuel in 2016. Since then, he’s dedicated this station to solely producing specialty grade coffee. Fugi was Emmanuel’s very first station; and thus, it’s a key component of the foundation upon which Baho Coffee was built.  It’s the third smallest station in the Baho collection, purchasing cherry from around 950 smallholder farmers and producing 900 bags of exportable green coffee each year.

For this coffee, the cherries are first stored in clean plastic bags for a brief 8 hour in-cherry fermentation period before being depulped. The wet parchment then undergoes a 12 hour wet fermentation. Here the coffee is rigorously washed to remove any remaining mucilage. The coffee is then dried on shaded beds for 12 - 72 hours. The parchment is finally moved into semi-shaded raised drying beds within a parabolic drying structure. When moisture content reaches the target of below 11%, the drying phase is considered complete.  The parchment is bagged, labelled, and stored in a dry warehouse at Fugi until time for milling. 

WHY WE SELECTED THIS COFFEE

Our second fruit forward Rwandan washed coffee of the year has arrived, and it reflects the unique and distinctive terroir of the southern Ngoma Sector - along the border of Burundi.

In the cup, it leans into a deeper, sweeter profile. Ripe pear leads with a heavier, honey syrup body that lingers long on the palate. It is incredibly juicy, with a sweetness that feels both rich and refined. Beneath that, subtle herbal notes of soft sage weave through the cup, layered with fleeting flashes of lime that brighten the finish.

It's a coffee that is easy to come back to every day - comforting, expressive, and full of character. We enjoy this best as a pourover that can be pushed for clarity or sweetness as its very forgiving. This coffee is another great look into Rwandan terroir.