Fruit and bittersweet notes open up to complex aromatic hints. Notes dried fruits, multigrain pancakes with blueberry syrup, coriander and all spice, fermented fruit and aromatic wood. City to Full City+. Good for espresso.
Grinding the coffee, our City roast brought a potent sweetness of natural sugars and dehydrated fruits. I picked up on a fruity blueberry sauce note from the steam when pouring the hot water, with a layers of malted barley syrup, and cocoa bittersweetness behind it. The fruit flavors in the cup are berry toned, with some rustic sweetness, and a bittersweet cocoa finish. The hot cup had sweet notes of palm sugar and sorghum syrup, accented by a grainy-sweetness that came off like multigrain pancakes with a drizzle of blueberry syrup. As the temp dips, the profile opened up to complex dried fruits, and a spice blend hint of dried coriander, and all spice. The cup aroma shows hints of aromatic wood, and a subtle fermentation note that brought to mind anaerobic coffee. We enjoyed our light roast quite a bit, though I'm sure it will do well up to second crack. The acidity level is mild for Burundi, which opens up espresso too.
The Kinama mill is a coffee processing site in Nyabiraba Commune, not far from the Migoti washing station. In fact, they're run by the same group, headed by a man named Dan Brose, and his partner Poncien. The station is only producing dry process coffee at the moment, but they are building out their wet mill so that they can hopefully begin wet processing as well. They planned to start last year, but there was a huge fuel shortage to run their deisel generator, and there is no grid power in this part of Nyabiraba. Kinama serves the local farmers on and around "Colline" Kinama, or Kinama "Hill". It was erected in the last couple of years, partially funded with money from USAID, and a lot of help from locals. The Kinama site sits at 1650 meters above sea level, and farms at the top of the hill stretch up a little higher. We were impressed by the fruit-forward, rustic cups this dry process coffee produced, and found it to be very flexible in the roaster. Dry process coffees produce more chaff than washed, which is something to keep an eye on. Don't let it build up between roast batches, especially in roasters with open heating coils, like the Behmor.
Check out our podcast episode with Dan Brose, where we learn more about his background, and their sister site, Migoti.
| Region | Collines Kinama, Nyabiraba Commune |
|---|---|
| Processing | Dry Process (Natural) |
| Drying Method | Raised Bed Sun-Dried |
| Arrival date | April 2025 Arrival |
| Lot size | 41 |
| Bag size | 60 KG |
| Packaging | GrainPro Liner |
| Farm Gate | Yes |
| Cultivar Detail | Bourbon |
| Grade | A1 |
| Appearance | .4 d/300gr, 15-17 Screen |
| Roast Recommendations | City to Full City+ |
| Type | Farm Gate |
| Recommended for Espresso | Yes |