Burundi
I filled my mug earlier today from the second pump pot, and thought to myself “I really like that Honduran.” It’s only just occurred to me that it’s not Honduran. Oops. This week we actually have a completely different coffee, that tastes nothing like the Organic Honduran. In fact, the two countries are over eight thousand miles apart. I guess that I really wasn’t paying attention to confuse the two.
This week’s coffee comes from Burundi, a land-locked country bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The coffee is grown in Bururi Province, on the western side of the country. It is grown by family farmers who come together to process their coffee in the Dukorere Ikawa Cooperative. It is a fully washed and sun-dried bean.
The water to process the coffee comes from a source in the Bururi Natural Reserve, which looks like an amazing place. In looking it up I discovered that they recently found an African frog thought to be extinct since 1949 (you can read the article here). The washing station has a “treatment facility to ensure that water leaves the wash station in the same pristine condition” (source here) as it enters.
In a country as poor as Burundi, growing and processing quality coffee changes lives. It allows farmers a living when they can export to the west. The Dukorere Ikawa Cooperative is featured here (the website is in French, but the pictures are great), and you can see the coffee being processed. It still amazes me how coffee grown around the world can end up in a mug on my desk.
This coffee brews a great cup. It’s a light roast, and as you drink you first taste sweet floral and citrus notes. As it cools the citrus flavors become more pronounced. It has a very light body and a medium to high acidity. When we tried it yesterday people spoke about orange and milk chocolate tones–which almost sounds contradictory, so you’ll have to experience it yourself.
You can come try this Burundi and let us know what you taste with the code Bururi Forest* (your guess on pronunciation is as good as mine). There are two more days of Nevada County Restaurant week, so come in and use that code too (listed here). Have a great weekend!
–Holly Fike
*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Burundi coffee. Code expires on 2.05.15. Limit one free cup per customer please. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value.