The arrival of Burundi offerings to our program is a great way to signal we are approaching the end of winter. Although it is often overshadowed by other African origins, Burundi has a lot to offer the speciality coffee industry and we are very excited to kick off the season with this naturally processed lot from the Gakenke Washing Station. 

All coffee plants in Burundi are of the Red Bourbon varietal. This is strictly controlled by the government for reasons of quality. Due to small farm size, farmers in Burundi do not retire their trees every few years, a common practice in other producing regions. Many producers have trees that are over 50 years old. Aging rootstock has become an issue in the county. 

Volcanic soils, high elevation, and ample rainfall in the Kayanza region all contribute to the quality of this lot. When these coffee cherries arrived at the washing station, they were floated and sorted by density and quality. They were then laid out to dry for 3-4 weeks, while workers continued to hand sort and remove any defective cherries from the drying tables. After the drying process was complete, they were sent to the dry mill and sorted one more time, by hand, to remove any trace of defect. We are very proud to represent all of the work that went into this coffee. We recommend brewing at 1:16.5 ratio, with filtered water at 208-210℉, and a 3-3.5 minute brew time. Look forward to flavors of mixed berry, fig preserves, and honeysuckle.