Burundian coffee, a diamond in the rough in the heart of Africa
East Africa is the birthplace of one of the most sought-after varieties: Arabica. It turns out that in this part of the world, there is a favorable terroir, climate and geography to obtain exotic and very delicious coffees. But one of its great treasures is the Burundi coffee, since it provides a balanced and extremely delicious cup.
Burundi, which is located right in the heart of Africa, is a coffee-growing country, whose history is worth knowing to appreciate each cup of coffee we consume a little more.
The coffee grown on this side of Africa does not leave you indifferent. In fact, it can be enjoyed in any way you like, as long as it is in grain form. If you have not yet had the opportunity to try it and are curious to learn more about Burundi coffee, we invite you to continue reading.
Burundi and coffee are one
This beautiful and small country is known as the heart of Africa. The reason is that its geographical location is similar to that of a heart.
Now, between 600,000 and 800,000 families grow coffee this being one of its main income. Even though they only produce 1% of the world's production. Regarding exports, coffee in Burundi represents 65% and accounts for 80% of the foreign exchange that enters the country.
So we could say that, coffee is the heart of Burundi.
The majority are coffee-growing families with less than one hectare, and for this reason they only produce around 500 kg of cherry per harvest. This means that they have to supplement their income with subsistence crops such as rice, wheat or corn.
To understand a little better what goes into the production of Burundi coffee, It is important to look back and remember your history.
How does coffee get to Burundi?
This happened in the early 1930s, at the hands of the Belgian colonizers. At that time, they forced farmers to grow coffee, and then take it to Europe or other Belgian colonies.
In 1962, Burundi became independent. Following that moment, part of the coffee industry was privatized and the other was controlled by the government for more than three decades. However, Burundian producers did not have very good memories of coffee because it had been a crop imposed by the Belgians. That is why they left it aside neglecting some plants and even uprooting some of them.
Since independence, Burundi has lived in constant political and war turmoil that makes stability in production difficult. It should be noted that this country It was in civil war from 1993 to 2005. It ended just 16 years ago.
Already entering the first decade of the 2000s, the coffee industry in Burundi began to rebuild, inspired by the success of the neighboring country, Rwanda. From this, they have been advancing and improving in the production chain, in infrastructure and in coffee processing.
Why is Burundian coffee at a disadvantage?
Unlike other producing countries, Burundi has only been in the coffee industry for just over 20 years. While the rest have centuries of promoting coffee culture, which means they have a lot of experience in this sector. Something that has helped them learn and improve in all aspects related to cultivation, benefiting process, storage, transportation or marketing of coffee.
Burundian coffee is produced with very few resources, putting it at a disadvantage compared to other countries. As we highlighted a few paragraphs above, it represents 65% of the country's total exports and 80% of foreign exchange comes from coffee. For this reason, the government of Burundi encourages and protects production based on the quality of grains.
That is why, in record time, they have established themselves as the third country in Africa with the best coffee, after Kenya and Ethiopia.
Burundi has a great future in the coffee world
Although it plays at a disadvantage in many aspects, Burundi is a country with great potential as a source of specialty coffee. It has all the ingredients to obtain exceptional coffees, volcanic soil, a good altitude and a favorable climate for the cultivation of the high-quality Arabica variety.
On the other hand, 80% of the cultivated plants are red bourbon, a very sweet botanical variety with good body. In addition, the double fermentation process also common in Burundi, makes the cup of coffee very clean and balanced. In countries like Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya it is very common to do the double fermentation process to make it easier to remove the mucilage layer. This prevents sugar residue from remaining and modifying the flavor of the drink.
In the case of Burundi, both fermentations are wet. It means that first the coffee is pulped, then it is left to ferment by soaking for 24 hours, then it is washed and left to ferment again for a whole day. While in Rwanda, the first fermentation is done dry, without water, and the second fermentation by submerging the cherries in water. In addition to removing the mucilage layer, when fermented in water it also serves to make an additional sieve, since it separates the less dense grains (those that float) from those that sink.
It is important to emphasize that if a coffee bean does not weigh it means it is of poor quality.
Where can you find this coffee?
In the website of Incapto Coffee, Burundi coffee can be found from the Nemba washing station in the community of Kayanza located more than 1800 meters above sea level.
In this season, cherries are collected from more than 2,600 local producers distributed over 15 hills. Incapto Coffee, has chosen this coffee for its notes of cocoa, cinnamon and black tea. A curious and pleasant flavor profile that fits very well if you drink coffee alone or combine it with milk or vegetable drinks.
Burundi coffee is capable of captivating even the most demanding palates. Many consider it the perfect option to start the day on the right foot. Despite not having many years in the coffee market, it can afford to be among the best. So, if you want to delight yourself with this exquisite coffee, you just have to enter our stock and that's it, in the next few days you will be preparing more than one cup a day.
