What Coffee Beans to Use for Pour-Over Coffee? Coffee Origin|Burundi Komiro Cooperative

Pour-Over Single Origin Recommendation: Burundi African Heart

Coffee Origin: Burundi

Washing Station: Burundi Sogestal Kirimiro Butemba Washing Station

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: 100% Arabica Bourbon

Flavor Profile: white peach, honey, lemongrass, floral notes, blackcurrant, red apple, vanilla, with a bright, clean citric acidity and a sweet finish

Roast Level: Light Roast

Altitude: 1,749 m

★ 2017 COE #16 Competition Lot ★

Sogestal Kirimiro Butemba Washing Station COE record:

- 2017: 16th

- 2015: 20th

- 2013: 9th

- 2012: 10th

Burundi Sogestal Kirimiro Butemba Washed — white peach, honey, lemongrass, floral notes, blackcurrant, red apple and vanilla, with a bright, clean citric acidity and a sweet aftertaste.

The Burundi Coffee Origin

Burundi lies in the interior of East Africa, where coffee grows on high mountains at altitudes between 1,750 and 2,000 metres. Most of it is cultivated by smallholders, many of whom own no more than a few dozen trees. After the harvest, farmers carry sacks of cherries on their heads or load them onto bicycles to deliver to the nearest washing station. High altitude, rolling hills, volcanic soil and abundant rainfall all come together to produce excellent coffee, giving Burundi a distinctive character with a prominent aroma and complex, layered flavours. In the cup, Burundi coffee brings lifted aromatics, ample sweetness and an elegant acidity.

About This Lot

This lot comes from the Butemba Washing Station, part of the Sogestal Kirimiro Cooperative. Sitting at 1,938 metres, it is the highest-altitude washing station in Burundi. That elevation gives the station access to very clean water, which supports the traditional Burundian double-fermentation method. Under the cooperative's thoughtful management and environmental focus, the coffee reaches exceptional quality — enough to finish 16th at the 2017 Cup of Excellence.

The Bourbon Variety

Bourbon is one of the Arabica varieties closest to the original species, discovered on Réunion Island (once called Bourbon), just east of Madagascar. Bourbon has a character all its own: much like Typica, it delivers a high-quality cup with wine-like acidity and a sweet finish. The two can be told apart by their leaves and beans. Bourbon leaves are broader, and its dense clusters of smaller cherries yield beans that are rounder and slightly smaller than Typica's.

The Washed Process

After the skin and pulp are removed, the coffee is fermented in tanks of water to break down the mucilage still clinging to the parchment, then rinsed clean. This method produces one of the defining traits of specialty coffee: rich acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Burundi pours beautifully through a Hario V60. The cone's 60-degree angle and single large hole force the water to travel to the centre before it drips through, stretching the contact time between water and grounds so that aroma and flavour extract fully — yet the flow rate stays entirely in your hands, which is exactly why the V60 has been the dripper of choice for light-roast, fruit-forward coffees since Hario redesigned it in 2004.

If the white peach and blackcurrant notes of this washed Bourbon appeal to you, try FrontStreet's light-roast single origins in the same vein. FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Banko Gotiti (Gedeb) is a classic starting point, with citrus, berry and white florals over a green-tea finish. FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui turns up the tropical fruit, layering strawberry, passion fruit and jackfruit over a low-bitterness, juice-like body. FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato, grown at 1,550–1,750 m in the Thika region from SL28 and SL34 and given a 72-hour double washed fermentation, brings a bright, juicy cherry-tomato and dark-plum acidity. All three are made for the V60.