Ryamukona

After a long delay of the container containing our 2 next lots from Burundi, we are finally ready to share this beautiful coffee with you. This washed lot from Ryamukona is processed at the Izuba washing station and has everything we are looking for in coffee from this region. Silky mouthfeel, zesty acidity and a complex, floral taste profile reminiscent of high quality oolong tea. 

Izuba meaning “sun” in Kirundi, is located in the Kayanza Province. The Izuba washing station is set close to a nearby river, providing a vital and regular freshwater source for coffee processing. The station is situated near to the Kibira national park, where the soil and climate are paired well for fantastic coffee production.

All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, where any under ripe or damaged cherry is removed. The selected cherry is now pulped in preparation for fermentation. The now parchment coffee is fermented in concrete fermentation tanks for an average of 12 hours under water. During this time, the fermenting parchment is agitated several times throughout the day.  

After fermentation, coffee is released into a large serpentine grading channel. This process also separates parchment into different density grades. During the washing process, parchment is continuously agitated to encourage lower density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage off the parchment. Once the parchment is separated into grades, it is given a final post-wash rinse. At this point, coffee is taken to a pre-drying area where the parchment is hand-sorted removing any insect-damaged, discoloured or chipped coffee. The parchment is laid out to dry and turned on a regular basis throughout the day for between 15 and 20 days depending on the climate.

At Izuba, the potato defect is tackled firstly through very thorough floating of cherries and then primarily by extensive wet sorting. This is the hand sorting that takes place under cover when the coffee has just been pulped and is still wet, the potato defect beans are most visible at this point. Two new additional wet sorting sheds were added in 2020 to further improve this process. Once the coffee has been fully processed, the remaining coffee pulp is turned into a natural fertilizer as it degrades. When ready, it is distributed to local farmers to add nutrients to their soil.

Origin: Burundi
Region: Runinya, Kayanza
Washing station: Izuba
Producer: Various smallholders
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed