Busanze

Tasting Notes: Persian lime, cherry, date syrup

Fragrance/Aroma: Dried fruit, malic, slightly earthy
Acidity: Structured
Body: Slightly textured, medium
Aftertaste: Lingering, sweet

The dry fragrance presents a combination of lime and dried fruit, carrying a subtle sweetness beneath a lifted citric top note.

On the palate, the cup opens with a clear lime-driven attack, supported by a structured acidity that is firm yet controlled. This brightness transitions quickly into a cherry-like sweetness through the mid-palate, softening the citric edge while maintaining clarity and flow. The body is juicy with a slight textural presence, giving the cup enough weight to carry its layered progression.

As the cup develops, the profile settles into a deeper, more complex sweetness reminiscent of date syrup, bringing a rounded, almost resinous quality. The aftertaste is long and gently honeyed, leaving a composed impression that balances citrus structure with evolving sweetness.

Rwanda, known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, is a country where lush greenery dominates the landscape rather than the deserts or grasslands typically associated with Africa. The Busanze region, a densely forested area situated between 2,000 and 2,115 masl in Nyaruguru District, provides optimal conditions for specialty coffee production.

The Busanze Washing Station began operation in 2018 through a partnership between Impexcor Coffee and local farmers of Nyaruguru district. The station processes coffee cherries grown by various smallholder producers in the region, and is operated primarily by female producers. More than half of the members of the Koperative Umurego Nteko (KUN) are women, with women featuring prominently on the KUN Board of Directors. This leadership structure reflects a commitment to gender equity in specialty coffee production.

In its first year of operation, Busanze ranked 7th in the Alliance Cup of Excellence award with a score of 89 points, establishing immediate credibility in the competitive specialty coffee market. These Cup of Excellence achievements provide tangible assurance of quality through rigorous evaluation by international judging panels.

Coffee Libre, one of Korea's most influential specialty coffee cafes founded by Seo Pil-hoon, Korea's first SCAA Q-grader and two-time World Roasters Cup champion (2012 and 2013), has developed a partnership with Busanze Washing Station to further enhance coffee quality. Their collaborative initiatives include processing cherries separately according to cultivation altitude to significantly enrich the unique characteristics and flavors of each microregion. Coffee Libre is also exploring new processing possibilities by adjusting fermentation times and introducing diverse methods such as Kenyan-style double fermentation, natural fermentation, and anaerobic fermentation.

The partnership is currently in the process of selecting lots for Cup of Excellence entry, an initiative expected to promote the quality of Busanze Washing Station coffee to the international specialty market. This collaboration between a women-operated washing station and a pioneering Korean specialty roaster represents a commitment to both quality advancement and equitable supply chain development in Rwandan coffee.

Sourced from: Coffee Libre
We paid: S$22.99/kg
Roasted cost: S$39.49/kg

Moisture content: 9.5%
Weight loss: 10.2%
Agtron: W76.3 / G119.9 / △43.6