Starting off the year with new Burundi crop from Kayanza and Mutambu
We are launching our new arrivals of BurundiBurundi coffee bears resemblance to neighboring Rwanda, in both cup character, but also the culture surrounding coffee. Burundi is a small landlocked country at the crossroads of East... ...more from this harvest (links below). Like most of our end of year coffee arrivals, this much anticipated container was delayed due to port congestion on both ends of the maritime journey, but the wait is finally over. It’s been exciting to cup and review the array of flavors from one of our favorite coffee-producing countries.
- Burundi Monge Murambi Hill on Sweet Maria’s and Coffee Shrub
- Burundi Kazoza N’Ikawa Coop on Sweet Maria’s and Coffee Shrub
- Burundi Commune Mutambu on Sweet Maria’s and Coffee Shrub
Why do we love Burundi so much? The first reason is the cup quality. Burundi is amazing. Coffee generally comes from old Bourbon-type coffee varieties, the traditional plant that was cultivated hundreds of years ago on the island of BourbonA coffee cultivar; a cross between Typica and Bourbon, originally grown in Brazil: Mundo Novo is a commercial coffee cultivar; a natural hybrid between "Sumatra" and Red Bourbon,... ...more (now Reunion). Along with the altitudes, often 1850-2000 meters, and the incredible labor to harvest ripe coffee and process with care, Burundi is a coffee we love as tasters and drinkers.
The other factor to love is the way coffee premiums, higher prices we pay for quality coffee, matter so much to the small farmers here. The dividend to the farmer is most obvious with the cooperative coffees we buy from Burundi, but is also paid by the private stations we get coffee from too.
For some this comes as higher initial payments for coffee cherryOriginally coffee literature referred to the fruit of the tree as a "berry" but in time it became a cherry. It is of course neither. Nor is the... ...more, and many also have a second payment bonus, or other benefits. That might be free coffee plants for improving future harvest, training in agronomyScience and study of crops and soils: A branch of agriculture dealing with field-crop production, soil management and physiology of crop plants as its focus. ...more, or in the case of Agahore and Greenco, free goats to help create organicGrown without the use of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, etc.: Organic coffee has been grown according to organic farming techniques, typically without the use of artificial fertilizers. Some farms... ...more compost!
We have a lot of material online from our many trips to Burundi over the years. A YouTube video I made a few years ago captures the work at one station we have bought from for many seasons, the coop Kazoza N’ikawa. The name means “the future is coffee,” representing the stake these farmers have in their joint effort. We buy from their site called Mpemba in the Kayanza area, although what is shown here is true for most of the other coops we buy from (no so much the kids on wooden bikes tho!):
Bigger Picture Issues with Burundi Coffee and the Global Coffee Trade
After the 2019 harvest, I gave a talk about coffee pricing and cost of production that focuses mostly on Burundi. This brings up a lot of the nuanced problems around fair pricing, the role of the coffee buyer, farmer, and government in trying to find something that benefits all involved (and particularly those with the least power, the coffee producer.) It’s a long talk, but important to us here at Sweet Maria’s/Coffee Shrub:
Check out the new lots now available:
- Burundi Monge Murambi Hill on Sweet Maria’s and Coffee Shrub
- Burundi Kazoza N’Ikawa Coop on Sweet Maria’s and Coffee Shrub
- Burundi Commune Mutambu on Sweet Maria’s and Coffee Shrub
