Burundi is also called 'the land of 1001 hills'. The coffee farms are situated between 1700 and 2000 meters above sea level. Of all the coffee producing regions, Buyenzi, which enjoys a favourable terroir and climate, is the largest. The volcanic soil is rich in nutrients and retains rainwater well. Although soil erosion is a potential growing problem due to overgrazing, agricultural expansion and deforestation.
Varieties
Coffee was first introduced in Burundi a century ago. The most important variety you’ll find is bourbon, known for its subtle sweetness and medium to full body. Common subvarieties are jackson, mbirizi or blue mountain. Also batian, K7 and SL28 from Kenya can be found here. In addition, robusta accounts for five percent of the coffee production.
Taste Profile
Coffee from Burundi is characterized by a clear acidity with a good body, a juicy structure with chocolate and caramel flavors, hints of hibiscus flowers, aromas of citrus fruits, notes of apple or raisin, pungent fruits such as blueberries and tamarind rounded off with a hint of bittersweet black tea. It is as if the best flavours from surrounding coffee producing countries such as Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia come together in harmony here. Burundi has participated in the lucrative Cup of Excellence competition since 2012. Last year it even was the only participating African country. A natural from Ngozi won, a natural from Kayanza finished in tenth place and fourteen washed coffees from the Buyenzi region finished in the top twenty.
Buyenzi
Location
The Buyenzi region, as big as Luxembourg, is located in the north against the equal-sized, twice as rich and more coffee-producing Rwanda. Two provinces within Buyenzi are Kayanza and Ngozi. The region has two million inhabitants, out of Burundi’s total population of twelve million. The country is an inland state; coffee is shipped from Dar es Salaam, a port city in Tanzania.
Climate
Buyenzi has perfect weather conditions for coffee due to a mild highland climate, with an average temperature of 18°C and precipitation of 1250 milliliters per year. Four seasons can be distinguished: the long wet season (February-May), the long dry season (June-August), the short wet season (September-November) and the short dry season (December-January). April is the wettest month.
Processing
The harvest season runs from March to July. The manually picked berries are treated in water channels to remove imperfections (such as the infamous 'potato taste defect'). Eighty percent goes to one of the country’s processing stations, the rest is processed as natural or honey. A quarter of all processing stations are located in Buyenzi. Here, the berries undergo the typical African fully washed processing method: the coffee is first fermented dry, then fermented under water, washed and finally soaked in water. After this, the seeds are dried and go to the dry mills. Three out of the seven national dry mills are located in Buyenzi.
Long Miles Coffee
The pictures placed with this article are part of the photographic print series of Long Miles Coffee. The American Ben and Kristy Carlson of Long Miles Coffee already found out Burundi is a gem for coffee nine years ago and moved with their three children to the heart-shaped country to become coffee farmers. "We wanted to introduce the world to Burundian coffee, establish direct relationships between international coffee roasters and coffee farmers and tell the story of the farmers who grow it.”
Learn more about the Long Miles Coffee Project here.
[credits]
Text: Norman Mazel (Q-Grader) for koffieTcacao magazine