The Burundian Nyabiraba we sourced via Bespoke coffees. We selected this coffee after tasting it in November 2018. Coffee landed in May 2019. We are now on the second season.
Burundi Coffee
Burundi has gained prominence in the specialty coffee industry over the last decade. During this time the old processing practices have slowly started being replaced by the more modern methods their East Africa neighbours have had so much success with.
Necessary to realise is the government still has a lot of influence over the coffee industry. In particular, it is almost a law that only Bourbon is allowed to be planted. Jackson is a close relative to Bourbon and can be found; however, these two cultivars are dominant in Burundi coffee.
Smallholders that have small lots grow most of Burundi’s coffee. In general, these farmers contribute to a local washing or processing station. By and large, these stations are responsible for separating the coffees, by floating and hand sorting on the drying tables.
Nyabiraba
The Migoti cooperative does all final processing and consolidation of the coffees from the Nyabiraba Commune. Nyabiraba means the place of seeing things. The Nyabiraba Commune is the furthest commune from the Migoti processing station. Found on the road to Ijenda from Bujumbura. Ijenda is where the highest peak in Burundi is located – Mount Heha around 2800 metres. The area of Nyabiraba is well known for its tea plantations, due to the altitude the temperature is cool and perfect for high-quality Arabica and tea growth.
The coffee goes through two stages of fermentation. One wet for 12 hours, and dry for a further 16 hours. The coffee is then dried on African raised beds for, on average 21 days.
Interesting story
Ndumiso Qolintaba use this coffee in his 2019 set. While competing in the final (where he ended up being placed 5th) Dan Brose from the Mogoti co-operative was there to cheer him on. We believe this is a unique experience in South Africa, to have the producer attend a Regional final where their coffee was used.
Details of Burundian Nyabiraba
| Region: | Nyabiraba, Bujumbura Rural Province, Burundi | |||||||||||||
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| Number of Farmers: | 135 – with a total of around 150,000 coffee trees | |||||||||||||
| Harvest: | Maincrop: June – August (2018). Arrived May 2019 | |||||||||||||
| Processing: | Fully washed, with 12 hours wet and 16 hours dry fermentation. Dried in the sun on raised beds for around 21 days. | |||||||||||||
| Altitude: | 1,800 masl (average) | |||||||||||||
| Co-operative: | Migoti | |||||||||||||
| Packaging: | GrainPro in Hessian | |||||||||||||
| Cultivars: | Arabica Red Bourbon | |||||||||||||
| Characteristics: | A four-star complexity coffee, with fruit and brown sugar sweetness. | |||||||||||||
| Roast used: | Bump, kick and straighten roast with a 75 seconds development time. This lighter roast promotes the fruit flavour note. | |||||||||||||
| Our brews: |
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Photos
Origin photos courtesy of Benjamin Jenkins and David Walstra.
Transparency Information
| Sourced from | Bespoke which is now Sevenoaks Trading |
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| FOB price | Pending, waiting for Sevenoaks to permit us to publish |
| Cupping score | 83.5 |
| Producer / Organisation | Mogoti co-operative |
| Lot size bought | 8 x 60kg bags |
| Relationship | We have a working relationship with Dan Brose, the owner of Mogoti since 2019. This is our second season dealing with Dan, who visits us when he is in Cape Town. |
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