Burundi - Ninga Hill

16.5 EUR

Ninga Hill, Butanyerera, Burundi | Washed | Seasonal The Story The Process The Cup Recipes This is the second year we're sourcing from Long Miles Coffee in Burundi, and it won't be the last. We keep coming back not only because the coffees are exceptional, but because of what Long Miles has built around them: a project that takes seriously the idea that great coffee and meaningful impact at origin are not separate goals. This lot comes from Ninga Hill, a farming community in the province of Butanyerera, in the commune of Matongo. The hill sits at elevations ranging from 1,800 to 2,000 meters, with clay-silty soils and a cool, mountainous climate that creates ideal conditions for slow cherry development. Around 741 smallholder producers grow coffee here, each tending an average of 75 trees on modest plots of about 300 square meters. It's a community-scale operation, many hands, one hill. Cherries are harvested from late March through mid-July and delivered to the Ninga Washing Station, managed by Long Miles Coffee, where they are processed with the care and precision that has become the project's hallmark. Long Miles Coffee was founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson, who moved to Burundi over a decade ago with a clear conviction that the country's coffee was exceptional and undervalued, and that building lasting relationships with farming communities was the right way to change that. Today, Long Miles works across multiple washing stations and partner hills, supporting producers through farmer training programs, sustainable land management, and women's empowerment initiatives — addressing real structural challenges in communities where coffee is often the primary source of income. Buying this coffee is a small but direct way of being part of that work. This lot is fully washed, processed at the Ninga Washing Station using the careful, traditional approach that Long Miles has refined over many years. After delivery, cherries are sorted and depulped before undergoing fermentation in water. The washed process, done well, strips away everything that isn't the coffee itself, leaving clarity, brightness, and a clean expression of the variety and terroir. At Ninga, the combination of altitude, cool nights, and attentive processing creates the kind of precision in the cup that makes Burundian washed coffees some of the most rewarding in the world. The Red Bourbon variety, grown across the hill by the community's smallholders, brings its own character to the process: a natural sweetness, a gentle body, and the bright acidity that Bourbon is known for. Bright, layered, and quietly complex, a classic washed Burundian done with real precision. The cup opens with lemon candy: zesty, sweet, and immediately lively. Blueberry follows, adding a soft, jammy depth that grounds the brightness. A finish of ripe plum rounds everything out, warm, slightly tannic, and deeply satisfying. Clean from start to finish, with the kind of balance that makes you brew another cup before the first one is done. Please note that our recipes are just guidelines of how we like to brew these coffees. Grinders, water, and equipment are some of the variables that could change the end result. Take these recipes as starting points, not absolute goals. Espresso We pull our espressos on a Linea Mini R, with water around 100 ppm and a Mahlkönig X54 grinder. We enjoy this coffee at 18g in, 42g out in about 28–30 seconds. Filter coffee We brew this coffee on a plastic V60, with CAFEC ABACA filters and Third Wave Water light roast water. Use 15g of coffee, water at 92°C, and a medium grind size. • 0:00 – Bloom with 50g of water for 45 seconds. • 0:45 – Pour 100g of water in a circular motion. • 1:25 – Pour final 100g of water. Total brew time should be around 2:15 to 2:30. Enjoy the coffee! Origin: Burundi, Butanyerera (Ninga Hill) Washing Station: Ninga Washing Station Importer: Osito / Long Miles Coffee Process: Washed Altitude: 1,800–2,000 masl Varietal: Red Bourbon Harvest: Late March – Mid July Tasting notes: Lemon Candy – Blueberry – Ripe Plum

Origin

Burundi Butanyerera

Process

washed

Varietal

Red Bourbon

Altitude

1900 m