We taste: blood orange, cherry, tropical

Farmers: smallholders delivering to the Gakenke washing station
Region: Kayanza
Processing Method: Honey
Elevation: 1,650-1,950 msl
Variety: Bourbon

This coffee comes to us from the hills of Burundi, the heart of Africa. Gakenke Washing Station is located in the province of Kayanza and was established in 1991. Farmers here own less than half a hectare of land, on average, and in addition to growing coffee, they also grow crops like bananas, beans, yams, taro, and cassava, both for sale and for household use. There are 2,667 farmers that deliver to this washing station, each farmer holding only 250 trees on roughly a tenth of a hectare. 

Due to the small size and yield on the average coffee farm or plot, washing stations are the primary point of purchase 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 post-harvest processing of day lots to create different offerings.

Instead of the traditional washed process, this coffee is a “honey” process. Honeys in Burundi are a rarity, but recently washing stations have been experimenting with this process, yielding tasty results. Ripe cherries are pulped, then immediately placed on raised beds for drying. Regular turning intervals create a honey process most similar to the classic Costa Rican honey process, producing flavors of subtle red fruits and noticeably elevated levels of sweetness in the cup.

When brewed, this coffee is complex and juicy with subtle nuances of blood orange and hints of cherry as it cools. It’s a delicious choice for any brewing method.