Rinaldo's Coffee: Burundi, Mpanga, Washed

We're delighted to return to Burundi for our newest African addition. A stunning Red Bourbon varietal, this is a typically floral coffee with a sweet body and notes of red currant, cranberry, jasmine and a bright acidity. It's actually grown close to our current Rwandan offering and has the same spiciness.

Mpanga is both the name of the farm and of the central washing station located in Kayanza Province, northern Burundi

The flavour profile from the Kayanza region is similar in a lot of ways to the southern Rwandan coffees like Huye Mountain. We tend to find Kayanza coffees are more delicate in character and present more floral notes of jasmine, rose and orange blossom.

Mpanga is managed by Jean-Clement Birabereye - a 15-year coffee veteran, who oversaw the construction of the washing station in 2008. The station processes coffee from approximately 3,400 smallholder farmers, who cultivate coffee on the hillsides that surround Kayanza, at elevations of up to 1,950 masl.

Under Jean-Clement's guidance, Mpanga has achieved incredible results at the Burundi Cup of Excellence, finishing 1st and 3rd in the 2014 competition. As a result of the hard work and diligence Jean-Clement has implemented, Mpanga has become highly regarded for its consistently clean and complex coffees.