Ethiopia Guji Hambela

Gihere is a centralized coffee processing station situated in the Ngozi region of Burundi. The station services over 1600 small farmers, most of whom own less than 250 coffee trees. The cherries of the coffee are gathered by hand, then are processed via sorting, washing and drying on over 200 raised beds. After the coffee has passed drying it is transported to the capital Gitega for further dry processing.

The station was established in 1984 and today can process up to 20 000 bags of coffee in total. Thanks to the built infrastructure the local farmers have gained access to education, investments and better living conditions, while producing high-quality coffee with clear crisp tasting profiles. 

In Burundi almost every coffee harvest is a microlot by default - small farmers, who own less than one hectare of land, sell their coffee to the local washing stations for processing. Instead of bearing the names of the farmers, the coffees are grouped and named after the washing stations, such as Gakove, Butezi or Gatare from the Kyanza region.

The quality of the coffee is strictly dependent on the attention to detail - sorting, fermentation and washing processes are carefully monitored. The processing is reminiscent of the one used in Kenyan coffees: dry fermentation, followed by washing with mountain water before the beans are slowly dried on raised African beds. The result is a clean, crips and complex profile - typical for the best African coffee varieties.

Ngozi is the second biggest region that produces coffee in Burundi. It is situated in the central northern part of the country. The whole region is situated at 1650 meters or above, where the average temperature is 21°C throughout the whole year. Most coffee producers grow a few hundred coffee trees on a less that one hectare of land. The coffee is gathered in private or public washing stations, where the beans are sorted, processed and dried.

Natural coffees are typically delivered the day they are harvested, and are first sorted for ripeness and quality before being rinsed clean of dirt. Then they are spread on raised drying beds or tables, where they will be rotated constantly throughout the course of drying. Drying can take an average of 8-25 days, depending on the weather.

Bourbon is related to the Typica variety, which is a result of a natural mutation of generic Typica varieties, that were cultivated in the Yemeni region and grown into Île Bourbon (now called Réunion Island).