Rwandan Ibis

Tasting Notes

Red Fruits, Milk, Roasted Peanuts

Tasting Score:

85.75

Processing Technique:

Natural

Area:

Southern Province Huye

Altitude:

1900 M

Variety:

Red Bourbon

Harvest:

2023 - 2024

Manufacturer:

Bernard Uwitije

Supplier:

Nordic Approach by Malkins

Ibisi Mountain Hills Wash Station is located in the hills of Southern Rwanda, a short drive from Nyungwe Forest, from which one of the tributaries of the Nile comes from the east side.

Bernard Uwitije, a native of the region, was trading unwashed Ordinary coffee until 2015, when he realised the potential of fully washed specialty grade coffee.

He established his first washing station, Gitega Hills, and it was successfully operational in its first year and decided to expand operations by establishing a second washing station, Ibisi, and the quality at both stations continues to be exceptional.

Ibisi produced around 790 tonnes in 2018 and they work with over 2000 farmers, 845 of whom are part of 25 groups whose farms are certified to CAFE Practices, 45% of whom are women.

After removing the pulp from freshly delivered cherries, the coffee is wet fermented and then the beans are sorted according to their density using water-filled sorting channels. The wet parchment is dried under cover for 24 hours before being moved to uncovered drying beds for an average of 15 days. During this time, the coffee is continuously sorted by hand.

A portion of the income generated by the station after repayment of loans each year is given to farmers as premiums to support our 2000 farming communities to provide health insurance, pay their children’s school fees and sometimes improve their homes and lifestyles.

Since everyone uses different grinders for brewing, I'll provide micron values from the Kruve grind reference table, which is more universal for coffee grinds. You can print it out on A4 paper from the link I provided and compare grind sizes. This may not give you 100% perfect results, but I think it's pretty close. A word of caution: Every grinder produces coffee dust and large coffee chunks when grinding. Please ignore these factors when comparing microns and use the micron size as the most common. 

Kruve Reference Link

Our Favorite Brewing Methods:

Water preference: Iceberg

V60 

Grind Size: Medium 900 µm

Water temperature: 92

Coffee: 16 g

Water: 250 g

You can stick the filter to the dripper with tap water, but I recommend warming the dripper first with a little hot water. 

00:00 - 00:08 50 gr blooming 

00:35 - 00:50 Complete to 150 

01:25 - 01:50  Complete to 250 

Total brewing time average  Between 2:20 and 2:40.

Aeropress

The Tim Wendelboe recipe works beautifully with our coffees. You don't need a gooseneck kettle. The brewing time is very short. We recommend it for those who want a convenient, rich, and delicious coffee, especially at work or while traveling.

Grind Size: Medium Fine 600 µm

Water temperature: 96 (In a classic kettle, when the water stops boiling, it is enough to open the kettle lid and wait for 1 minute.) 

Coffee: 14 g

Water: 200 g

Aeropress flat method:

00:00 - 00:10 Fill with 200 grams of water, mix back and forth 3 times and quickly close the piston. 

01:00 - 01:08  Remove the piston, mix back and forth 3 times and close it

01:08 - 01:30 Start pressing and complete the brewing within 20-25 seconds.

French press

Our first recommendation for those wondering what the most practical and economical way to brew our coffee is the French press.  It's not as clear as coffee brewed with a paper filter, but it's surprisingly good.

Grind size: Medium Coarse 1100 µm

Water temperature: 96 (In a classic kettle, when the water stops boiling, it is enough to open the kettle lid and wait for 1 minute.)

Coffee: 16gr

Water: 250 g

00:00 - 00:10 fill all the water

00:10 - 00:30 Stir for 20 seconds. (Please try to mix quickly and not create a vortex.) Close the lid and wait.

04:00 - 04:20 Open the lid, stir calmly for 20 seconds and close it.

Complete the brewing by slowly pressing between 08:00 and 09:00.

Sage Sdc 450

For brewing 30 gr to 500ml or 40 to 650ml  ;

If you are not brewing 1 liter, brew a small amount (100-150 ml) in fast mode and heat the carafe. (Please pour the water into the flowers instead of pouring it out.)

Grinding Size: 900 µm for 500 ml - 1000 µm for 650 ml

Bloom time: 45 seconds

Bloom vol: 3 lines for 650 -  4 lines for 500 ml

Brew temp: 92 

Flow rate: Two lines

For 500 ml, it takes 4 minutes for the brew to completely filter into the carafe, and for 650 ml, it takes 5 minutes.