Bourbon Variety - The Coffee Growing Story of Bwayi Washing Station in Burundi's MATONGO Region? Burundi

Bourbon Variety - The Coffee Cultivation Story of Bwayi Washing Station in Burundi's MATONGO Region

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The Bwayi Washing Station is located in Matongo town, Kayanza Province, Burundi. An average of 4,000 coffee producers contribute to Bwayi, with 983 coffee producers serving directly to the station, while 3,018 coffee producers contribute through 10 different collection points. Other crops in the region include bananas, beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, and taro. The town is located in Kayanza, Burundi. Like most washing stations in East Africa, the Bwayi station processes coffee from various small-scale coffee growers with land in the region.

The Bawayi washing station processes coffee from about 4,000 coffee producers in total. Nearly a quarter of these producers deliver their harvested coffee cherries directly to the washing station, while the rest deliver their harvests from the station's 10 collection points.

Burundi's Coffee Heritage and Challenges

Deep in the heart of Africa lies the small country of Burundi, and within Burundi lies Cafe Imports: since 2006, we have been trekking in a place south of Rwanda on the southern shores of Lake Tanganyika, and Cafe Imports was one of the first companies to see the tremendous potential of specialty coffee here - not just because of their delicate appearance, as complex as Kenya, but as versatile as top Colombians; and also for the economic possibilities that specialty coffee offers.

Burundi's coffee has been a logistical challenge from start to finish, even for those of us who have been in this business. This is a particularly poor country, one of the lowest GDP countries in Africa, and in recent years has brought new political struggles and turmoil that can be traced back to the very difficult periods of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The country's landlocked position on the African continent is also difficult to navigate: instead of selling FOB (Free on Board), as most coffee can be purchased from Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic once it arrives at the port and is loaded into containers, they are just traded FOT, or Free on Truck - which is a riskier arrangement because it requires incredible long-distance transportation from the processing plant to the ports of up to three countries and travel times of up to a week.

Burundi's Distinctive Coffee Profile

Although Burundi and Rwanda share similarities in varieties, processing, farmer profiles, and history (the two countries are often confused in product tables and the "stories" of African coffees), they are actually almost night and day in the cup: Burundi's shimmering acidity and incredible complexity and diversity are absolutely products of terroir here, a place whose taste is as beautiful and varied as the place itself.

Burundi is a small country located in the center of Africa, situated below Rwanda, between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. Like many surrounding countries, Burundi was once a colony. During this time, coffee was mainly exported back to Europe, with local farmers receiving little work money or recognition. Unsurprisingly, exploitation made Burundians disillusioned with their work.

In 1963, Burundi (along with neighboring Rwanda) gained independence from colonial rule. Unfortunately, this newfound freedom fueled resentment between the country's two ethnic groups. Similar to neighboring Rwanda, the conflict escalated into full-scale war. The result was decades of constant turmoil and hundreds of thousands of deaths. While the country still struggles with violence, political instability, and overall economic disparity, coffee brings new hope for the future to Burundians.

Burundi Coffee Characteristics and Processing

Burundi coffee is sweet, complex, rich, and has excellent mouthfeel. Like the world-renowned coffee-producing neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Kenya, the processing methods used by Burundian farmers produce some of the best cup profiles in the world. In typical Burundi coffee, it's not uncommon to taste various fruit flavors against a backdrop of thick and sweet chocolate notes. The acidity is extremely bright and clean, creating bright and balanced characteristics in the cup.

The excellent Burundian coffee flavor makes people proud of the work of individual farms. Coffee from Burundi is almost entirely classified as "microlots" because individual farmers can only supervise very small coffee growing areas. Therefore, hundreds of farmers deliver their coffee together to cooperatives, where they will work with local washing stations to sort and process their coffee beans. From here, the coffee will be purchased by import companies, and the money will be distributed among the farmers. Cooperatives enable small farmers to see their coffee being sold, while trying to sell it themselves could lead to various problems, such as coffee being sold at prices far below its value, or not being sold at all.

With coffee exports remaining above one-third of Burundi's GDP, there is definitely no slowing down the necessity and importance of this crop. With quality improving year by year, Burundi continues to distinguish itself as a resource-rich, ultimately brave people who, despite economic and political turmoil, continue to produce coffee that surprises professionals around the world.

Coffee Profile and Brewing Recommendations

Flavor Notes

Cherry, plum, red fruits, cocoa, lychee, jasmine, red apple, molasses, vanilla, blackcurrant

Acidity

Juicy, citrusy, bright

Texture

Round, thick, distinctive, raspberry

Variety

Bourbon

Processing

Washed process

Brewing Equipment

Hario V60

Water Temperature

88°C

Grind Size

Sugikazu grind setting 4

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Brewing technique: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water and let bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour up to 120g, then pause the pour. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time should be around 2:00.

Analysis

Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour helps extend the extraction time, better extracting the nutty and chocolate flavors from the later stages.

Important Notice :

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