| Country | Burundi |
|---|---|
| Farm | Heza - Mikuba |
| Varietal | Arabica Bourbon |
| Processing | Natural |
| Crop | July 2022 |
| Partnership | 7 years |
| Coffee type | Whole bean |
Long Miles Coffee Project
is simply an incredible story of passion and devotion. Ben and Kristy Carlson, originally from the U.S., decided to move to Burundi with their kids to start an ambitious coffee project in the highlands of Kayanza region (read the full story here). After spending some time in this beautiful but extremely difficult country, you realize, what it really takes to be a white foreigner and run a coffee business here. Ben owns three washing stations (Hez, Ninga and Bukeye - map), which currently buy and process coffee cherries from more than 4500 families.
In Burundi, each hill (colline) is its own geopolitical unit, consisting of approx. 60-140 families. You will find different coffees named after the hills they come from, i.e. Mikuba, Nkonge, Gitwe. They are all situated in the proximity of the washing stations since the farmers usually delivery the coffee by foot. During the season, small farmers bring their freshly picked cherries to the station, where they are first inspected by the Long Miles team. Once accepted, the cherries are floated to separate unripes, weighted and processed using either fully washed, natural or honey method.
About this coffee
Our lot is dry processed bourbon variety. First, ripe cherries are pre-dried on fully shaded African beds for 3 days. Then they are moved to two-tier beds and dried for 27 days. This year, our lot has an intense Hubba Bubba aromatics followed by notes of candy floss and raspberries in the cup. The sweetness and mouthfeel is quite astounding.
