Rwanda Nyamasheke Gasharu Honey

Our friends at Gasharu Coffee have once again delivered an exceptional coffee. This honey-processed lot is the latest addition to their offerings, a testament to the dedication of the family-run operation led by Valentin, Managing Director, alongside his sisters, Illuminee, Chief of Finance and Production Manager, and Gaudance, Production Manager. Valentin’s brother, Jean Christophe, founded Umuko Coffee, which imports Gasharu’s coffees to the United States.

Gasharu Coffee’s coffee journey began with their father, Celestine, who established the farm at the tender age of 14. Today, family members are deeply involved in every aspect of the business, from laboratory and farm management to washing station operations and exporting.

Our partnership with Gasharu Coffee has flourished since our first meeting in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, we visited their farms to gain a deeper understanding of their operations. We’ve also had the pleasure of hosting Jean Christophe and Valentin at our roastery multiple times. Recently, Valentin joined us at the Northeast Coffee Festival in Concord, New Hampshire, where we had the opportunity to sample this coffee. He also participated in an engaging panel discussion on the future of coffee and served as a judge for the latte art competition. After the festival, Valentin spent some time with us in Portland, where we explored our coffee process, from receiving green coffee and roasting to savoring the final cup together.

Rwanda’s Nyamasheke District, nestled between Lake Kivu and Nyungwe Forest National Park, is home to the cherries that make this honey-processed lot. These cherries are handpicked from coffee trees of the Red Bourbon variety and undergo a meticulous process. They are floated and sorted, then passed through a McKinnon disc pulper to remove the fruit. The coffee is then spread across raised drying beds, where the sticky-sweet mucilage clings to the seeds. Over the course of 10 to 15 days, the coffee is turned hourly to ensure even drying. 

The result is a coffee that embodies the fine, elegant characteristics of high-end washed coffees, while also showcasing the fruit-forward sweetness and body typical of natural coffees. 

Flavor Notes:  Juicy + Raspberry Preservatives + Orangina

Roast Level:  Light

The Rwanda Nyamasheke Gasharu Honey, sourced from the Nyamasheke region by Gasharu Coffee, offers a distinct expression of the Red Bourbon varietal. This lot is prepared using the honey process, a technique that sits between washed and natural methods by leaving a portion of the fruit mucilage on the bean during drying. As detailed in our processing methods explainer, this approach often imparts a unique sweetness and body to the final cup. Roasted by Coffee By Design, the coffee presents a profile characterized by juicy acidity and vibrant fruit notes, including raspberry preserves and citrus reminiscent of Orangina. When evaluating these specific descriptors, tasters may find it helpful to reference the flavor wheel to better categorize the complex interplay between the honey-processed sugars and the inherent brightness of the Bourbon cultivar. This selection highlights the meticulous post-harvest practices currently defining the specialty landscape in Rwanda.