BURUNDI - The Masha Washing Station

“Suffice it to say, Burundi faces many challenges as an agricultural society. Most of the country’s coffee is grown in its northern provinces where the average coffee farmer owns only a quarter acre of land. Due to their miniscule size, scalable coffee export relies on communities bringing their harvests to centralized mills for processing. For the Masha Washing Station in the Kayanza province, that means organizing coffees from more than 3200 farmers. On top of that, Burundi’s landlocked location challenges mills to find paths of export through other countries or via expensive air-freight, leading to longer-than-average delivery times for coffee and, as a result, delayed payment for their product.

But despite all of these challenges Burundi has risen to prominence over the last 20-odd years as a specialty coffee origin, becoming known for high quality “micro-lots”; blends of the highest scoring coffees from many producers in any given region. What makes this particular offering so special is that, despite being a blend of many farmer’s coffees, it consists of only single varietal: Bourbon. This is incredibly uncommon given the nature of Burundi’s micro-lot culture, and presents for an exceptional sensory experience and challenge for those unfamiliar with brewing single varietal offerings.

I consider myself very fortunate for having the chance to roast and present this coffee and all the work it represents. I hope you will take on the challenge of dialing in the perfect recipe for this coffee, and above all, I hope you enjoy.

With love,

Noah

“

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Country of Origin: Burundi

Region: Kayanza

Smooth Coffee Offering Designation: “Single Origin, Single Varietal” (SOSV)

Varietals: Bourbon

Process: Washed

Elevation: 1672 MASL (Elevation of the Masha Washing Station)

Roast Time: 7:50-8:00

Development Time Ratio: 19-20%

Weight Loss Due to Moisture: 11.3-11.5%

Final Temperature: 403-405F

Roast Level: Light-Medium