Burundi Nyagashiha Filter

Tasting notes: Dried apricot, honey, lime, mango.

Coffee breakdown:
Origin: Rumonge province, Burundi
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1530 masl

Nyagashiha (pronounced NIA-GASH-IYA) meaning comes from the historical tree variety that once grew in the region. Nyagashiha washing station is located 86km south of the capital Bujumbura. It is surrounded by steep valleys where most of the land is used by farmer/family communities who not only grow coffee but also fruit and vegetables. Jean-Baptiste Bigirimana is the manager who oversees the 1,172 farmers who produce roughly 400MT of exportable green coffee per harvest. The region has a temperate year-round average of 18 degrees, which allows the cherries to develop slowly, creating greater complexity in the cup.

At the washing station, producers bring red ripe cherries the same day they re picked. The cherry is then floated in small tanks of water to eliminate any defective beans (floaters) before pulping is carried out. Soaking and washing in clean water sourced from mostly mountain streams, the beans must then go directly under the pre-drying area. This process further sorts out any immature, yellow, or damaged coffee beans, as good and defective parchment can look the same under the sun's rays. Finally, the washed and sorted coffee is moved to drying beds for an average of 2 weeks until the desired moisture content is reached.