Heart of Africa Premium Burundi Coffee - Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee - Burundi: Heart of Africa

Burundi, the heart of Africa.

According to World Bank statistics from 2011, approximately 600,000-800,000 families in Burundi depend on coffee for their livelihood. Coffee is the core of Burundi's economy.

Burundi is a beautiful landlocked country on the steep terrain of the East African Rift Valley. Its complex topography means the great mountain ridges that rise suddenly from the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika form the watershed between Africa's two major river systems, the Nile and the Congo. That geography has earned the country its beautiful nickname, "Heart of Africa." Through Belgian introduction, Burundi began growing coffee in 1930. The varieties are mostly of the Bourbon family, similar to neighboring Rwanda, and the coffee grows at high altitudes between 1750 and 2000 meters.

The first Arabica coffee trees in Burundi were introduced by Belgians in the 1930s. Today, more than 800,000 Burundian families rely on coffee cultivation for their livelihood. Most are small-scale farms, intercropped with other crops and worked by hand without machinery. The trees are mostly Bourbon and Bourbon-related varieties such as Jackson and Mibirigy. Processing includes both washed and semi-washed methods. Historically, most exports went to Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and the United States.

Coffee exports have become an important source of income for Burundi. The country's coffee comes mainly from five major producing regions, with famous areas including Kayanza, Ngozi, Mumirwa, Buyenzi and Kirimiro. Burundi's production model is closer to Ethiopia's, with mostly small-scale farmers. Farmers from the Nyarunasi Cooperative deliver their harvested ripe berries to processing facilities for unified processing.

Although other small producing regions exist, the coffee from these areas is the most renowned.

Buyenzi

The largest coffee-producing region in the country, bordering Rwanda. Two specific areas within it, Kayanza and Ngozi, are the most famous.

The Kayanza region has an extremely mild climate with an average temperature of 18°C. Most small farms sit between 1700-2000 meters, with dry summers. In the 2015 Cup of Excellence competition, coffee from Kayanza scored a high 91.09.

Ngozi lies in northeastern Burundi, at a similar altitude to Kayanza. Although its production is less than Kayanza's, it has shown impressive quality potential in recent years. In the 2015 Cup of Excellence, its best batch scored 88.92, with other batches from the region also scoring above 85.

Coffee from Kayanza during natural drying.

Kirundo, Bugesera

Northeastern Burundi, with relatively low production but good development potential. Altitude is approximately between 1400-1700 meters. The best COE score from this region is 86.62 points.

Muyinga, Bweru

Another producing region in northeastern Burundi, bordering Tanzania. Average altitude is 1800 meters, with typical Burundian characteristics: a mild climate, volcanic soil and high rainfall.

Gitega, Kirimiro

Located in the central mountainous region of Burundi, with average temperatures between 12-18°C. Annual rainfall is approximately 1,100mm, lower than other producing regions.

Besides COE award-winning coffees, this region also has a professional coffee laboratory specializing in export coffee quality control.

Bubanza, Mumirwa

Located in northern Burundi, bordering Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Altitude ranges from 1100-2000 meters, with average temperatures between 12-18°C. Annual rainfall is approximately 1,100mm.

Processing Methods

Coffee production in the Rutana region follows a model similar to Ethiopia's, with mostly small-scale farmers who deliver their harvested ripe berries to processing facilities for unified processing. This batch from the Rutana region comes from a cooperative formed by family-like small coffee farmers, made up of 539 small coffee farming families, of which 148 are women. Each family plants an average of 10-200 coffee trees (at least 1000 trees can be planted per hectare), showing their meager annual income - typical of impoverished small coffee farming families.

Coffee harvested by small farmers undergoes traditional washed processing. After depulping, the beans are soaked and washed in water tanks, then placed on drying racks for natural sun-drying.

Like other East African countries, Burundi has its own special processing style called double washing (or double fermentation). Coffee processed this way develops an exceptionally grateful taste and bright flavors.

The beans are nearly flawless, with uniform size and moisture content. After roasting, they consistently show a quite bright roasted color. The flavor is wild, retaining strong taste and aroma. This rich fragrance differs from most premium mild coffees on the market and has earned high praise in Europe. The dry aroma is very strong, comparable to Kenyan coffee. On tasting, you immediately feel a rich, vanilla-like flavor with a wild sensation. The coffee is rich, with lower acidity than Kenyan coffee, a slightly thicker texture, and a shorter aftertaste. It has the inherent characteristics of East African beans, yet is quite unique.

Green Bean Analysis

Generally, Burundi coffee is mainly Bourbon variety, with some other variations such as Jackson and Blue Mountain. It is grown at altitudes ranging from 700-2,700 meters. Higher altitudes produce brighter acidity and lemon notes, with flavors of passion fruit, pineapple, floral notes and honey, and quality can reach SCA 86 points or above. Lower-altitude coffee has a slightly thinner body with more chocolate and hazelnut flavors.

Region: Bubanza
Variety: Bourbon
Altitude: 1400 to 1700 meters
Soil: Volcanic rock soil
Grade: AA Grade
Processing: Washed
Harvest Period: March to August
Flavor: Honey, kumquat, violet floral notes, light acidity, smooth mouthfeel, saturated aroma, rich and lasting aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Burundi's wild, aromatic, East African character has a close cousin in neighboring Ethiopia, so if you like this style it is worth tasting the same continent through FrontStreet Coffee. The FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe daily bean is the classic starting point - white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean tea-like finish - while FrontStreet Coffee's Gedeb Cooperative, a washed Yirgacheffe from the Worka area, layers jasmine and citrus over a silky body.

For a fuller, sun-dried expression of the region, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry and Flower Queen are excellent choices: the Red Cherry brings berry juice, honey and cream, and the Flower Queen leans into tropical strawberry, passion fruit and lychee with almost no bitterness. Two more references for East African aromatics are FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Hamasho, a sun-dried 74158 with lime, strawberry and star-fruit sweetness, and FrontStreet Coffee's Kafa Forest, a medium-light roast with white florals, bright lemon acidity and orange and bergamot notes.