Gaharo, Burundi — June 2024

JUNE SUBSCRIPTION

Hello hello,

Hope you are enjoying this magnificent coffee! We are always so excited to share coffee like this. Here is a little backstory for you.

Gaharo, Burundi (Natural Process)

A couple weeks ago we did an Instagram post on the amazing work that Long Miles (the mill and exporter) does in Burundi, have a read if you get the chance! Here I will focus on telling you more background about the coffee itself.

This coffee is from a group of smallholders on the Gaharo hill, and it is processed at the first washing station Long Miles built called Bukeye.

When buying natural-processed coffee, there is a particular attribute of coffee that we love and that is sometimes lost — acidity. Acidity's crisp and balancing characteristic is often dulled during the long fermentation and drying times that the natural-processed coffee undergoes. It is a common occurrence to see natural coffee being dried for even 40+ days. Much like dried fruit vs. fresh fruit, there is less vibrancy.

In a washed coffee process, immature coffee seeds are usually exposed and removed during the floating stage, whereas with natural processing, it can be more challenging to properly assess and identify, as the seeds stay fermenting in the cherry. This can result in more 'quakers' (unripe seeds that do not contain enough sugars to caramelise during a roast), an undesirable defect/flavour in coffee.

All this being said, natural processing is challenging. The Long Miles Project has established a process with step-by-step methods to ensure the coffee's acidity still shines through and that there aren't too many defects seen in the final product. We are blown away by how much sweetness and ripe fruit character they can develop, without the unwanted nasties.

Coffee quality is one thing, but it isn't everything to us. Knowing the extent to which Long Miles have created a business and project under which the Burundi people can build their own community and wealth within the coffee industry, means knowing we are contributing to a business model that is really working to help build a more positive and prosperous future for coffee farmers in Burundi.

Kindest regards,
Ben