D'Origen Coffee Roasters: Long Miles Coffee Project, Burundi
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Rating: 94/100 Roast: Medium Body: Airy, smooth Acidity: Medium high Notes: Mandarin orange, dark chocolate Aroma: Tea rose, molasses |
"The question was 'how?' One thing was clear, if we were going to be living in their country and drinking their coffee, we wanted to do so knowing that Burundi coffee farmers were receiving a livable wage for their amazing product...working in coffee exporting, we saw gaps in the authenticity of the supply chain and in the quality of coffee production at the wa shing stations. We wanted to foster an even greater connection between the coffee farmers and the coffee drinkers, even if that meant starting one farmer and one consumer at a time."
- Ben, Kristy Carlson of the Long Miles Coffee Project in Rugoma Hills, Burundi.
- Ben, Kristy Carlson of the Long Miles Coffee Project in Rugoma Hills, Burundi.
Ben Carlson and the crew
After over a decade of violent civil war, the small East-African nation of Burundi has struggled to return to the peak of industrialization that followed its independence from Belgium in the early sixties. Today, the country's populace relies primarily on subsistence agriculture for survival. Malawi is the world's only country with a lower GDP per capita (national revenue per person) than Burundi, resulting in a heavy dependence on foreign aid that grew worse with the substantial proliferation of HIV/AIDS and chronic malnutrition across the nation. Burundi's largest revenue source, however, is coffee, comprising over 93% of exports. Still, the country has failed to gain a strong foothold in specialty coffee markets due to the inability of farmers to make a living wage off of growing coffee.
In 2011, Ben and Kristy Carlson along with their two children moved to Burundi to help combat this dire issue. Their goal was to introduce Burundian coffee farmers to coffee roasters and sourcing companies around the world, founding the Long Miles Coffee Project (check out their website here) and helping to convert the once-struggling lone growers of the hills of Burundi into a burgeoning and flourishing community of coffee farmers. Since then, the Long Miles Coffee Project has established strong relationships with the international specialty coffee market; roasters around the world are racing to get green beans from Rugoma Hills!
In 2011, Ben and Kristy Carlson along with their two children moved to Burundi to help combat this dire issue. Their goal was to introduce Burundian coffee farmers to coffee roasters and sourcing companies around the world, founding the Long Miles Coffee Project (check out their website here) and helping to convert the once-struggling lone growers of the hills of Burundi into a burgeoning and flourishing community of coffee farmers. Since then, the Long Miles Coffee Project has established strong relationships with the international specialty coffee market; roasters around the world are racing to get green beans from Rugoma Hills!
Cupping this coffee, I was greeted by a distinctly tart acidity backed by a natural sweetness characteristic of washed-processed East African coffees. Bright with spiced undertones, the coffee presented hints of strong, dark chocolate to the finish. A sweet, floral aroma acted as a pleasant prequel to the cup. I brewed with a chemex, French Press, and Aeropress and decided on the latter; the French Press disguised some of the more nuanced flavors while the chemex brought out a slight excess acidity. The coffee performed beautifully in an Aeropress, achieving the best of a medium body, medium acidity, and sweet aforementioned flavor notes. I used 198°F distilled water and a medium-fine grind, with a 45 second to-press steeping time.
Thanks to D'Origen Coffee for sending this roast over for review; I really enjoyed covering the Long Miles Coffee Project. D'Origen has emerged as a forerunner in the Spanish specialty coffee roasting and exporting business; check out their website and some more of their great roasts here. Stay tuned for upcoming reviews of D'Origen's Panama (Black Mountain) and Brazil (Fazenda Camocim) roasts!
