Introduction to Burundi Gaterama Estate and Characteristics of Burundi Coffee

Burundi single-origin coffee beans are naturally processed Bourbon, grown around the Gaterama washing station in the Gitega region. Grown at altitudes of roughly 1,700-1,900 meters, only the ripest cherries are used for processing.

Bourbon is the parent of many Arabica varieties, named after Bourbon Island (now called Reunion Island), where it originated. It is a short tree with many secondary branches, producing on average 25% more coffee than the Typica variety. Bourbon is known for its special sweet-and-sour balance, and many producers and roasters consider it a classic everyday coffee.

Burundi single-origin coffee is best suited to alternative brewing methods, including pour-over, Chemex and French press. These methods bring out the coffee's acid-sweet balance more clearly.

The Muyange and Nkongwe Hills growing areas are located in the Bugendana region and process cherries at the Gaterama washing station. The quality of Burundi coffee is steadily improving. To ensure quality, farmers in this region select only the ripest cherries before processing. Most of the country's coffee industry grows Arabica Bourbon as a cash crop.

Burundi has about 800,000 coffee-growing families, and the industry accounts for about 80% of the country's export income. Most farms grow between 50-250 trees, which is not enough for farmers to engage in direct trade themselves, meaning farmers bring their cherries to cooperatives and washing stations for processing and export.

Burundi's weather creates a natural coffee-growing region with many high mountains, volcanic soil that provides nutrients, and mist for protection, with all areas situated along the equator. This creates prime conditions for the rapid development of specialty coffee in the region, which earns farmers more income while still offering good value to end customers. High-grown coffee from Kayanza, Ngozi and Muyange (also spelled Muyinga) provinces is beginning to gain recognition in the foreign coffee industry. The rise in specialty coffee demand also means farmers are reviewing their practices and paying more attention to their crops to increase yields.

For example, the Gaterama washing station is working with farmers to obtain organic certification. New trees have been planted and grown organically, and once the trees are planted and ready for their first harvest, the station will receive organic certification within three years. In pursuit of this, they are training their farmers in organic techniques.

The station also uses Kenyan-style double fermentation to draw out sweetness and fruit flavors and to raise the lively acidity of Burundi coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you enjoy a naturally processed Bourbon with a pronounced sweet-and-sour balance, FrontStreet Coffee suggests brewing it in a French press, which suits this style of coffee very well. For a bright, clean cup, the Strawberry Candy blend - a Gesha blend built from a honey-processed Costa Rican coffee and a washed Panama Geisha - releases rose, citrus, grape and raisin aromas in the press, and with milk it reads like strawberry fudge. For a low-acid, full-bodied black coffee, the PWN Golden Mandheling, a triple hand-sorted Sumatran lot, brings rich spice, caramel, cedar and dark chocolate aromas with a thick, oily body.

FrontStreet Coffee's suggested brewing parameters:

Pour-over: V60 dripper, Fuji R440 grind setting 3.5, water temperature around 90°C

French press suggested grind setting 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon suggested grind setting 4, water temperature between 90°C-91°C

AeroPress suggested grind setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C

For the French press specifically, use a coarse, granulated-sugar grind - about setting 10.5 on an EK43s electric grinder or 26 clicks on a hand grinder - and a 1:15 ratio (15g of coffee to 225g of water). If you do not have a thermometer, boil the water and let it rest for 2-3 minutes, which brings it to about 90°C. Pour in all the water at once, stir gently, wait 4 minutes, then press slowly and pour carefully so the sediment stays at the bottom of the pot.