Burundi Kayanza Masha Anaerobic Natural

Despite its small size, Burundi has established itself among the coffee greats of Africa over the last few years. For better or worse, almost all coffee grown in Burundi is of the Bourbon variety which lends an unusual amount of dependability and consistency to the origin profile. The best cups of Burundi we’ve had are similar to those found in Ethiopia whose wild heirloom varieties gave birth to Bourbon. So it’s no surprise that if you enjoy good Ethiopian coffee, you’re gonna love a good cup of Burundi as well!

Masha washing station buys cherry from over 2,500 farmers in its community. If that number shocks you, it’s important to keep in mind that more than 80% of coffee farmers in Burundi are smallholders. These are folks who only have a couple hundred coffee trees which produce less than a pallet (10 bags) of specialty grade coffee each season. That’s too little to attract a suitable buyer, so community washing stations like Masha sort and blend the local crop in order to create large enough profile focused lots to export.

Community lots like this one are a great way for washing stations to craft a coffee that showcases the local terroir. This particular microlot was selected for anaerobic fermentation then finished with natural processing in order to highlight its inherent brightness and sweet, fruity flavor. The cup has effervescent yet sweet acidity which we noted as orange soda. We also noted ripe peach, raspberry, limeade and honey in our samples. These tasty notes were well balanced with a silky smooth texture and a clean, quick finish. It’s delightful as a single origin drip, but where it really shines is as a flash iced coffee. Just in time for those hot summer days that beg for an afternoon pick-me-up!