2020 JUNE DISCOVERY
BURUNDI
ALMOND, LAVENDER, LIME
FILTER ROAST
FARM LOCATION | KAYANZA
SPECIES | ARABICA
PROCESS | WASHED
VARIETALS | BOURBON, JACKSON, MIBIRIZI
ALTITUDE | 1580 MASL
THE FARM
Muhanga Washing Station is located in Muhanga town, in the province of Kayanza. Around 1,500 producers deliver cherry to the washing station, either directly or to one of the four different collection points that are set up in the area. Due to the small size and yield on the average coffee farm or plot, coffee is often sourced from washing stations in Burundi. Unlike other coffee-growing regions in Central and South America where landholdings are slightly larger and coffee-centric resources are more available, most producers do not have space on their property or the financial means to do their wet- or dry-milling. Instead, the majority of growers deliver cherry to a facility that does sorting, blending, and postharvest processing of day lots to create different offerings.
HISTORY OF COFFEE IN BURUNDI
Coffee production has been something of a roller coaster in Burundi, with wild ups and downs: During the country’s time as a Belgian colony, coffee was a cash crop, with exports mainly going back to Europe or to feed the demand for coffee by Europeans in other colonies. Under Belgian rule, Burundian farmers were forced to grow a certain number of coffee trees each—of course receiving very little money or recognition for the work. After the civil war–torn 1990s and the nearly total devastation of the country’s economy, coffee slowly emerged as a possible means to recover the agrarian sector and increase foreign exchange. In the first decade of the 2000s, inspired in large part by neighboring Rwanda’s success rebuilding through coffee, Burundi’s coffee industry saw an increase in investment, and a somewhat healthy balance of both privately and state-run coffee companies and facilities has created more opportunity and stability.
FILTER
BREW GUIDE
GRIND SIZE: Medium
AMOUNT OF COFFEE: 22g
AMOUNT OF BREW: 340ml
:BREW TIME 2:40 – 3 minutes
