Burundian coffee history, Burundian coffee flavor
Coffee flavor profile
Burundi coffee beans
Sharing a border with Rwanda and many similarities in the history of coffee cultivation, the coffee tree was present in Burundi when Belgium colonized the country. This is a bright period for the world coffee industry when the demand for coffee in Europe increases sharply, but it is pretty dark for Burundi.
Due to oppression, farmers had to grow coffee, and the value was not high. Until the 1960s, coffee was privatized due to a lack of knowledge of seed sources. The quality of the coffee was inferior.
Since 1990, the civil war and the ethnic conflict have ended. Burundi coffee trees grow and play an essential role in agriculture, bringing in a large amount of foreign exchange. Inspired by the success of neighboring Rwanda in rebuilding the country with coffee trees, Burundi’s coffee industry is focused on investment and development.
In 1991, the Burundian coffee industry expanded its scope more and more steadily, but the civil war in 1993 resulted in a severe drop in production. Since then, many efforts have been made to increase the show and the value of coffee in Burundi.
Investment in this industry is considered important, as The conflict has shattered Burundi’s economy. In 2011, Burundi had the lowest per capita income globally, with 90% living on subsistence agriculture. Combined, coffee and tea exports account for about 90% of total foreign exchange earnings. Coffee production is recovering but has not yet reached the early 1980s.
Burundi’s coffee production
With nearly 700,000 families dependent on coffee trees, plus less arable land, the move towards higher prices through quality improvement is the only avenue of Burundi coffee. However, the constant fear of political instability still covers the atmosphere of this country. Despite that, there is still a lot of ground for the growth of Burundi coffee. CafeImports compiled the following data in 2017:
Burundian coffee farming
- Coffee growing areas: Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Muyinga, Ngozi,
- Popular coffee varieties: Bourbon, French Mission, Jackson, Mibirzi,
- Processing method: Wet processing some of the dry processing output.
- Season: October – December.
Coffee processing station – Micro lots
The country is on a map of coffee Africa, Burundi Coffee development model processing station (Micro lots). Farmers’ coffee will be sold with the name of the processing station since most farmers produce tiny, restricted quantities of coffee. Processing stations are set up to process coffee for a specific region. Therefore, farmers’ coffee will be sold under the name of the processing station.
Most Burundi coffee is processed with a typical processing method: peeling, dry fermentation for about 12 hours, rinsing, and soaking for another 12-14 hours. The coffee is then floated for grading before being steeped for another 12-18 hours and dried.
Commercial capacity
Within each region, these processing stations are grouped into SOGETALs ( Sociétés de Gestion des Stations de Lavage), the organizations that manage the processing stations. Quality development in recent years has been driven through these organizations, mainly through the provision of better infrastructure in their regions.
Until recently, coffee from all processing stations in each SOGESTAL was blended. This means that coffee exported from Burundi can only be traced back to SOGETAL, which is recognized as the region of origin of the coffee itself. In 2008, Burundi began embracing the specialty coffee sector, allowing for more direct purchasing and traceability.
In 2011, in Burundi, a coffee quality competition called the Prestige Cup took place, the forerunner of the more established Cup of Excellence. Coffees from processing stations are batched and kept separate from ranking for quality. Then they are auctioned with their origin intact. This means we could see an exciting coffee launch in Burundi coffee in the future with great potential for quality.
Similarities Between Burundi & Rwanda
The best coffees from burundi coffee beans are wet-processed and are often derived from the Bourbon variety, although other coffees are grown. In many ways, there are similarities between Burundi and neighboring Rwanda.
The two countries have similar coffee beans heights and varieties, and both face the same challenge: First, their location deep in the African continent could hinder rapid coffee flavor profile exports. fast to good consuming countries; Second, like in Rwanda, coffee in burundian coffee flavor is also susceptible to potato defects – a defect caused by bacteria on so.