Burundian Coffee: Africa's Best-Kept Highland Secret
Burundi produces some of Africa's most prized specialty coffee — grown in the volcanic highlands at high altitude, processed in traditional washing stations, and increasingly sought by specialty roasters worldwide
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Highland Coffee Farms
Burundi's coffee is grown by small farmers in the volcanic highlands — the combination of altitude, volcanic soil and the Bourbon arabica variety produces exceptional cup quality
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Coffee washing stations
The washing stations where ripe coffee cherries are pulped, fermented and dried are the center of Burundian coffee geography – each station's terroir provides a distinct regional flavor profile
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Specialty Coffee Export Market
Specialty buyers from Japan, the US and Europe compete at Burundian coffee auctions — the prices paid for exceptional lots have transformed the incomes of highland farming communities
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Coffee tasting at origin
Visiting a specialty cafe in Bujumbura – where locally sourced beans are brewed by trained baristas – reveals the quality international buyers seek from this small highland nation
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Kayanza and Ngozi coffee regions
Kayanza and Ngozi provinces produce Burundi's finest coffee - the journey through the terraced highland landscape to the washing stations is itself a journey through extraordinary scenery
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Coffee and women farmers
Women do the majority of work in Burundian coffee farming — cooperatives that provide women with direct income from special premiums are changing gender dynamics in farming communities