Community: Busambo

Origin: Kayanza Province, Burundi

Process-type: Washed

Varietal: Bourbon

Cup: Dark Plum, Rainier Cherry, Candied Citrus

Busambo is a small, hard-to-reach hilltop community near Burundi’s Kibira National Forest. The forest’s dense canopy fosters cooler temperatures and higher rainfall than other coffee growing regions in Burundi. Take into account also high altitudes (1800-2200 meters above sea level.) and rich red clay soils and it is easy to understand why this is a special region for coffee production.

Farmers delivers their coffee (usually on foot) to a centralized wash station (Umoco) at lower elevations that serves all the surrounding hilltops. At Umoco, the coffee undergoes a meticulous processing routine: a 12-hour wet fermentation is followed by a second 12-hour fermentation in cement tanks. The parchment is then dried for 20 to 25 days on traditional African raised beds.

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