Gishamwana Island · Espresso

Gishamwana Island sits roughly 700 metres off the shoreline of Lake Kivu — a secluded coffee-growing island accessible only by boat. Privately owned by Emmanuel Rwakagara, founder of the COOPAC cooperative, the estate is home to more than 35,000 Bourbon trees grown organically beneath native forest shade. This is our second season featuring coffee from Gishamwana Island, and we’re still a little smitten. Crisp, delicate and beautifully refined, this washed lot delivers notes of apple, pear, nectarine and chamomile.

Gishamwana Island is given over almost entirely to coffee, with the full production cycle completed on the island itself. Rather than ferrying cherry back to the mainland, milling and drying take place on site, allowing for close control over quality from harvest through to drying.

The island’s natural isolation offers a unique advantage. Surrounded by the waters of Lake Kivu, many of the pests and diseases that affect mainland farms have never reached the island. The coffee is grown organically under native forest canopy, with composted cherry returned to the soil as natural fertiliser. Cows, goats and even a resident albino rabbit share the farm environment, reflecting the estate’s focus on ecological balance.

This lot is 100% Bourbon, a variety prized for its sweetness, clarity and structured acidity. Processing follows Rwanda’s distinctive washed method, with ripe cherry depulped before moving through dry and wet fermentation stages. The coffee is then soaked, carefully graded through water channels, and slowly dried on raised beds for up to three weeks.

The result is a clean and precise cup built around orchard fruit. Apple and pear lead with crisp sweetness, nectarine adds gentle stone fruit depth through the middle, and chamomile brings a soft floral finish. Light, elegant and beautifully composed, it’s a standout expression of washed Rwandan coffee.

Washed process – Bourbon varietal grown organically on Gishamwana Island in Lake Kivu, Rwanda at 1650 MASL.