Tourism in Burundi is virtually non-existent due to lack of infrastructure and civil unrest. So chances are most of you have not had the opportunity to sit in a Burundi cafe and drink their local coffee whilst reading the morning Burundi paper. However knowing a good coffee roaster (Did someone say Karon Farm Coffee?) who relishes the hunt in finding interesting and premium coffee gives you the chance to taste east-Africa in the comforts of your own home.
Burundi is a little land-locked African country less than half the size of Tasmania yet has a population of over 10 million people, thankyou google.
Sadly it is one of the poorest nations in the world struggling to emerge from civil war that ended in 2005
So what can we do to help these guys? Sit back and drink good coffee, I say
Coffee and tea are the two main exports in Burundi and our trusty sources have told us that the producer and the farmers are getting good premiums for their coffee, well above fair trade prices. That warms the heart and our cups
So for the month of May/June we have managed to get our hands on some Burundi Buziraguhindwa Muruta. No easy feat with Burundi coffee.
Buziraguhindwa is a communal washing station located near the border of Rwanda. Coffee farms in Burundi are small with over 3,000 coffee farmers from surrounding hills selling their lots to this one station. Buziraguhindwa originally produced mainly fully washed coffee, but in the past years has experimented and are producing good amounts of natural and honey coffees.
The washing station has a solid reputation for producing exceptionally clean and top quality coffee and understands the value in supporting its local community. Not only through employment but the washing station has built infrastructure for the locals, giving out seedlings, has donated land for a school as well as supported it financially. In return, local farmers increase the quality of their farming and pick better cherries during harvest.
So what does our Origin of the Month taste like? Burundi Buziraguhindwa Muruta has a huge body, delicate acidity, with hints of lychee, black currant, cherry and milk chocolate. It makes an amazingly intense and complex double espresso/long black and brings its lovely berry and choc notes to a flat white.
Try tasting Burundi Buziraguhindwa Muruta this month and see if you can detect these flavours.