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In the cup: Elegant, layered and complex. Juicy with a fantastic round sweetness and berrylike acidity with tasting notes of apple, caramel and red berries.
Cupping Score: 88
Mouthfeel: Round, elegant
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Producer: Gakenke Washing Station
Altitude: 1500 - 1800 meters above sea level
Region: Kayanza
Background:
The Kayanza province is one of the best coffee producing regions in Burundi. Located in the north of the country, it is renowned as the water source of the Nile River. During the season, The Gakenke Washing Station can process more than 750 metric tons of coffee.
Due to Kayanza's high altitude, the coffee grown there has a high level of acidity mixed with a fruit- like sweetness. Bold, fruity coffees are a hallmark of the East African flavor profile.
The Gakenke Washing Station has 2,685 registered farmer members, spread over 22 hills in Kayanza province. These are organized in groups of 30 people, headed by a producer leader to facilitate communication and organization with the washing station. The farmers typically have an average of 250 trees. The washing station participates in a number of farmer outreach and support projects including a livestock rearing project and a range of Farmer Hub projects centered on strengthening cooperatives and improving yields.
RED BOURBON
Most coffee grown in Burundi is of the Red Bourbon variety.
Bourbon takes its name from Bourbon Island (now La Réunion), where it was introduced by French missionaries who had taken a few coffee seeds from Yemen in the 1700s. Along with Typica, Bourbon accounts for the basis of most of the world's coffee production.
GAKENKE
Gakenke is named after a plant that grows wild in the area with thin, hollow stems that are commonly used to drink the locally made banana beer.