The last coffee I reviewed for this here blog was the Stumptown Burundi Kinyovu. Round about that time I started to notice that Burundi and Rwanda coffees seem to be on the rise this year. (Fun fact: They’re neighbors!) I’d love to spend some space here discussing the histories of these nations and the influence of coffee, but I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of their socio-economic situations. If you’d like you can read more about them here and here. (These sources are never wrong!)
But I digress. As you may have read, I wasn’t too thrilled with the Stumptown Burundi, even though I enjoyed it at the Stumptown tasting I attended back in February, and despite the coffee community’s general enjoyment of Burundi coffees. I’ve decided to go on a coffee tour of Burundi, guided but a handful of different roasters. My next stop after Portland, Oregon (Stumptown) is Los Angeles, California care of…
The Coffee
Handsome Coffee Roasters
Burundi Gatare
Location: Kayanza
Handsome Roasters did not provide as much location and varietal information about the beans, but I am fairly certain that most beans out of Burundi come from the same place: the Kayanza mill.
The Brewing
Hario V60 | Buono kettle
34 grams coffee : 500 mL filtered water
Medium grind
Bloom with 35 mL water for 30 seconds. Moderate pour remainder.
The Review
The aroma is very reminiscent of the Stumptown Burundi. It’s a little chocolatey and nutty. There’s a musky aroma I can’t quite place. I wouldn’t exactly call it bad, but not necessarily delicious, either. The mouthfeel is clean and smooth, not too thick and it doesn’t linger for too long. And the taste? Like cocoa. It’s a little sweet though not fruity. It’s a well-balanced flavor. The strange musky aroma is there in the flavor, too. This part of it reminds me of the Stumptown Burundi. I think I placed it as a nutty aroma/flavor in the Stumptown, but in this cup it’s more separated from the nuttiness.
As the temperature drops, that strange musk completely vanishes and it gets a little sweeter and fruitier – in the berry/cherry family.
This is a tasty cup of coffee. I’m still not sold on the flavor of Burundi overall, but I enjoyed Handsome’s take on it more than the Stumptown. Overall I found it has more character and cleaner, more nuanced flavor.
From Handsome Roasters:
We Taste Strawberry, lime, graham.
As you can see, I didn’t exactly get the flavor-tastes they did. Don’t worry, that only means that I’m terrible at this.*
Tune in next time to find out my next stop on the Burundi tour.
* This is sarcasm. Everyone’s tastes are different. If you try it, you will undoubtedly find something a bit different from both my description and Handsome’s. If you do try it – or have tried it – let me know what you taste!