Burundi

Ninga

Typically Burundian berry notes are softened into a rich jam in this lot, processed at Long Miles’ new Ninga station

Here we find a deep and rich red berry jam, the fresh fruit notes softened by the natural processing.
Coffee expression
A fruity & rich coffee
Whole Bean Coffee
250g (8.8oz) or 1000g (35.3oz)

Regular price: $21.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $21.00
incl. vat/tax
Regular price: ~~$21.00~~
Unit price: per

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Producer
Ninga Farmers

Varietal
Bourbon

Process
Natural

Another release from our long term partners in Burundi, the Long Miles Coffee Project.

Burundi

The Long Miles Project

The Long Miles Project, founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson, began work in 2013, aiming to raise the bar of specialty coffees coming out of Burundi. The project works with more than 4.500 individual coffee farmers living near three central washing stations, Bukeye, opened in 2013 Heza, from 2014 and Ninga, which had its first harvest just last year. There are several reasons why producing speciality coffee in Burundi is an incredibly difficult task. There’s the incredibly unstable political situation, where government can change rules on coffee prices and production seemingly overnight, the geographical constraints that come with being a small landlocked country attempting to export coffee by sea freight, the constant threat of military coup. But through it all the Carlson family have managed to establish themselves as producers and exporters of consistently delicious coffees, all the while providing some semblance of stability to the lives of smallholder farmers that surround their washing stations in the northern Kayanza Province, near the border with Rwanda.

This is the first year that Long Miles have processed coffee on the Ninga hill, after having built their new washing station here throughout 2020 and 2021.

Kayanza

Ninga

This year is no different, another difficult season has passed in Burundi. The 2021 season, after disappointing yields in both 2019 and 2020, was expected to bounce back for a bumper harvest. Unfortunately, the volume never came. This is starkly illustrated by that fact that the 2021, 2020 and 2019 harvests put together do not match up to the volume produced in 2018. Add to this the global supply chain issues that many have struggled with this year, and a change of government rules surrounding the financing of coffee before export, and we paint a picture of a typically difficult Burundi harvest.

Here we find a deep and rich red berry jam, the fresh fruit notes softened by the natural processing.

Natural Bourbon

Ninga

The team at Long Miles have seen great quality potential in the farmers of Ninga hill for some time now, but were unable to serve this very remote area effectively due to the great distance from their existing stations. Although we have been able to taste separated lots from Ninga before, the long journey and incredibly remote nature of the region surrounding Ninga meant that access to the Long Miles eco-system of support was limited. With the completion of the new Ninga station, this changes, giving farmers full access to the Long Miles ‘Coffee Scout’ programme of agronomic support, and to fair and transparent pricing for the cherry they deliver here. This is the first year we have been able to taste coffee from Ninga that has been processed on the hill itself, this time using a natural method. This softens the typical fresh and bright berry notes into a rich and sweet jam, and rounds out the often slightly herbal finish.

Technical Data

Producer
Ninga Farmers
Region
Kayanza
Altitude
1900 masl
Varietal
Bourbon
Process
Natural
Harvest
May 2021

Natural Process

The natural, or dry process, is the traditional process, going back generations. When accomplished in a controlled and careful manner, dry processed coffees can produce flavour experiences not found in wet processed coffees, deep fruits and florals, normally with heavier mouthfeel and lower acidity. The cherries are first sorted, and then laid out on in thin layers (2-6 cm) on raised drying beds. These are almost always used for high quality naturals, as they aid airflow around the coffee as it dries, enabling more even drying.

It is very important that coffees are sorted very carefully early on in the drying process, as all of the cherries quickly turn dark brown, making it impossible to separate under and overripe cherries. The cherries are turned frequently to avoid mold formation or over-fermentation, until they reach a moisture content of below 20%, and the outer cherry layer shrinks and blackens. This process takes between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Continue to explore:

Ninga

The Long Miles Project

Ninga

Ninga

Technical Data

Natural Process

Brew Guides

Guides

Equipment