BURUNDI
stone fruits ∙ raisins ∙ lime
Mpanga located near the village of Kabuya in the Kayanza province is the most successful coffee washing station these years. Mpanga was responsible for processing the 1st and 3rd place finalist coffees of the 2014 Burundi Cup of Excellence competition. Our lot was already sold before the competition. This washed coffee is a combination of Red Bourbon and Jackson Arabica varieties.
urundi is a landlocked country in Central Africa bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. Coffee is Burundi’s biggest export revenue earner, making up as high as 80% of its earnings. Forty percent of the population, i.e. about 600 000 families are involved in coffee production. Burundi has invested heavily into this sector with the help of the World Bank, and the county has embarked on the ambitious program of setting up coffee washing stations and planting new coffee trees. A total of 133 new washing stations have been built all over the country, so currently there are about 160 of them in Burundi including Mpanga, where this coffee comes from. Burundi’s climate is predominantly equatorial, but the mountainous regions, where coffee is grown, enjoy a moderate climate. Average temperatures vary from 17 to 23 °C and there are two seasons: wet and dry. There are two harvesting periods: the main harvest is from February to March while the secondary harvest is between April and May. Jean Clemént Birabereye built the Mpanga processing station three years ago, after having worked for over ten years as head of several other mills in the district. He says that over 3 000 families or farmers sell their coffee cherry to Mpanga. Everything is right: altitude, climate, soil and coffee varieties.
Each family delivers an average of 500 kg per season and Jean Clemént insists on red and ripe cherry. If the cherry delivered is not to this standard, it is sent back to be sorted out. This processing technique involves removing the pulp and fermenting the coffee initially for 18 hours in its fruit. The next day the coffee is fermented further in fresh water for an additional 18 hours, but without it having been washed. The coffee is then cleaned in the classical method of washing in channels of fresh water, before it is finally soaked and dried, as is the standard practice in Kenya. For many, this doublefermenting technique has been forgotten about in the last 2-3 years. Jean Clément is provisionally willing to continue with both techniques, whichever his buyers require. According to him double fermented coffee tastes sweeter, while single-fermented coffee has more acidity. He has also set up an export company so that he can export his coffee directly to the buyer and keep all the profit of his hard work.
... To achieve the best taste experience possible use soft water and freshly ground coffee. Let it rest for a week after roasting but consume it within one month. Enjoy! the Casino Mocca team
casinomocca.hu
photo by the Collaborative Coffee Source
Mpanga
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