Burundi Ruhinga Espresso
Burundi Ruhinga Espresso
One of the things we look forward to in the new year is the oncoming deliveries of Burundi coffee. In the autumn we tend to roast more of fewer coffees. The prospect of lots of new coffees and roasting a broader variety is so refreshing!
We often find an abundance of orange as a predominant characteristic in Burundi coffees. Conversely, you might seek a blackcurranty Kenya, probably with an SL28 varietal somewhere in its pedigree. We really liked this washing station’s coffee, as it has a softer, more rounded acidity that lends itself beautifully to espresso.
Top Trumps
Washing station: Ruhinga
Region: Kanayza
Varietals: Jackson, Mibirizi, Bourbon
Process: Fully washed.
Roast: Developed filter
Cup Potential: Working from the biggest vessel downwards: In 9oz & milk, this is a full-on developed chocolaty, bold, toffee-drink. In 6oz there is a citrus addition. As espresso, although this is a light roast it tastes bold and developed. Big front-end citrus, winy acidity, green tea, and a whopping cocoa finish. Sweet, savoury and complex. There is so much soluble, or strength, without roast, if that computes??
Recipe:
16-17g in. 30-35g out. 25 seconds is a good place to start. 93C and espresso can easily go into 50g+. I feel with some more resting this would work nicely with less coffee too.
Like Rwanda, a mill in Burundi is the product of many small producers. Coffee is often a part of a livelihood and the scale involved does not make sense to process your own at home. This would be like buying a bottling plant for a single vine or tree.
Due to the size of plantation, which is 1/2-1 hectare on average, most lots are of multiple farms. This makes traceability beyond micro-lot from a mill, almost impossible Many lots are produced in each mill and the skill is buying the best lots, that will last. As with coffee everywhere, the final quality of the lot is hugely down to the care taken in processing.
