The Alchemist

The Alchemist is one of the staples in our line-up and a coffee we source directly from Gasharu Farms in Nyamasheke, Rwanda. An anaerobic natural Red Bourbon that changes quite a bit depending on how you brew it. Espresso pushes the cacao forward; filter opens up the tropical fruit and jammy sweetness. Complex, rich and particularly good with milk.

The Alchemist comes from Gasharu Farms in Nyamasheke, in Rwanda’s western highlands near Lake Kivu. We source this coffee directly from Gasharu, and it has become one of the staples in our line-up. Their Red Bourbon goes through an anaerobic natural process, giving us a rich and layered cup with tropical fruit, ripe sweetness and dark chocolate. Brew it as filter and the fruit comes forward. As espresso, it gets deeper and more cacao-driven.

Gasharu Farms is in Nyamasheke, in western Rwanda near Lake Kivu, at around 1700 masl. We source The Alchemist directly from Gasharu and have built a long-term relationship around this coffee.

Red Bourbon, a variety widely grown in Rwanda. In The Alchemist, we find a particularly rich expression of it, with tropical fruit, jammy sweetness and dark chocolate. The balance shifts depending on the brew, which is part of what keeps this coffee interesting.

Anaerobic natural. The whole cherries ferment in sealed tanks without oxygen before being dried with the fruit still intact. The result is a fruit-forward but deep profile, with tropical notes alongside the darker cacao character we associate with The Alchemist.

Medium. The anaerobic fermentation adds a controlled stage to the natural process, with time and conditions carefully managed before the whole cherries are dried. It’s more involved than a traditional natural, without the additional inoculations, thermal shocks or multiple fermentation stages we see in some of our high-intervention coffees.

Produced by Gasharu Farms in the Nyamasheke region of Rwanda, The Alchemist showcases the potential of the Red Bourbon varietal when subjected to specialized post-harvest techniques. This lot undergoes an anaerobic natural process, a method that often influences the final cup profile by intensifying fruit-forward characteristics and body. As detailed in our processing methods explainer, anaerobic fermentation can significantly alter the development of sugars and acids within the bean.

Roasted by Dayglow, this coffee presents a profile defined by tropical fruit and jammy sweetness, balanced by deeper notes of dark chocolate and cacao. When evaluating these complex layers, drinkers may find it helpful to reference the flavor wheel to better identify the specific nuances present in this Rwandan harvest. Grown at 1700 masl, this selection highlights the distinct terroir of Nyamasheke and the meticulous work of the producers at Gasharu Farms in crafting a memorable, high-intensity cup.