Burundi Akawa

Origin

• 🇧🇮 Burundi

Tasting notes

Character

• Bright
  30
• Clean
  20

Name: Akawa Producer: Akawa Project Origin: Murango Varietal: BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars. Altitude: 1100-1700 metres above sea level Process: NaturalNatural processThe whole cherry is dried with the fruit still on the seed. Gives heavier body and big fruit flavors — think berries and wine — sometimes with a fermenty edge. Flavours: Florals & Cranberry Importer: Keynote Coffee Where is it from? This coffee is part of the Akawa project. An initiative with one of our importers, Keynote with the aim to build stable and fair supply chains in Burundi. The project finances the UTZ certification of the washing stations, 13 so far, so that the premiums on all coffee sold from the washing stations can be used to train farmers in good management practices. A flat price is paid upfront to the mill prior to harvest, meaning that the farmers receive all of the money for their cherry upfront and without negotiation, something which is not common at all in Burundi. Further projects are implemented on the ground by Supremo and SUCCAM, financed by donors and supporters of the project. Carefully crafted production of both Natural and HoneyHoney processThe skin is removed but some sticky fruit mucilage is left on during drying. Lands between washed and natural: more sweetness and body than washed, cleaner than natural. coffee started in 2018. Farmers have embraced the idea of improving their picking and handling techniques, aware of their role at the very beginning of the value chain. Strict quality control measures are enforced in the cherry drop-off, something which the farmers are happy to work with given the payment mechanism. The coffee is stored in grain pro bags between each processing step, and is sent to Nairobi for storage prior to export, making use of the cooler climate to preserve quality. Farmers are trained to deliver strictly ripe cherries to the mills. Cherries are delivered to the mill within 5 hours of picking and are processed as soon as minimal volumes are collected in order to not compromise quality. Honey coffee cherries on the stations of Runyinya and Rugazi are passed through the same pulpers as the Fully WashedWashed processThe fruit is removed from the seed before drying, usually with fermentation and a water rinse. Tends to give clean, transparent cups where origin character shows clearly. coffees. The pulpers are cleaned to avoid any contamination between batches. Once pulped the sticky mucilage bypasses the fermentation tanks and is sent directly to the drying beds. There is no pulping taking place in the