This coffee's story

This natural Bourbon comes from the Mubuga washing station in Ngozi, one of Burundi’s major coffee-producing regions in the north-central part of the country. The region sits at around 1,650 metres above sea level or higher, while this particular lot is listed at 1,661 MASL. Most producers in Ngozi cultivate only a few hundred coffee trees on less than one hectare of land. 

This smallholder structure is an important part of how coffee works in Burundi. Individual farmers deliver their freshly harvested cherries to centralized washing stations, where coffees are sorted and processed. Because the average farmer owns only around 1/8 to 1/4 of a hectare, microlots are generally composed of coffees from multiple producers rather than being traceable to one individual farm. The lots are created from individual daylots and selected based on cup quality. 

Mubuga itself works with more than 1,900 local farmers and has substantial infrastructure for processing and selecting ripe cherries, including 12 fermentation tanks, three soaking tanks, more than 300 drying tables and four selection tables. Harvest generally takes place between April and June, although this particular lot is listed with a harvest period from March through July. Before export, the coffee is processed at the BUDECA/SIVCA dry mill. 

The variety here is Bourbon, a Typica-related variety originating from a natural mutation of Typica-derived coffees cultivated in Yemen and later transplanted to Île Bourbon, today known as Réunion Island. 

As a landlocked country, getting coffee out of Burundi can be logistically challenging, but its microlots have become particularly valued for their distinctive cup profiles. The sourcing notes describe standout Burundi coffees through their fruit sweetness, structured acidity and expressive character, qualities that make the best lots from the country particularly distinctive.

Processing

This coffee is processed as a natural. Ripe cherries are picked and then laid out whole on raised beds, where they dry for varying lengths of time depending on the weather. 

Once dried and prepared for export, the coffee is processed at the BUDECA/SIVCA dry mill. The result is a fruit-forward natural with the clean sweetness and complex acidity that stood out in the selection of this microlot.