Burundi — Ninga Bumba Hill May 15th Harvest Field Blend (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍒 Dried Berries • 🌶️ Spice • 🍊 Orange Marmalade

DETAILS

• Producer: Bumba Hill farmers / Long Miles Coffee Project
• Washing Station: Ninga (Long Miles Coffee Project)
• Region: Kayanza, Burundi
• Varietal: Field Blend (Red Bourbon, Mibirizi, SL34)
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL
• Harvest: May 15th, 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

This is SEY's final release from Burundi this year — a fond farewell to one of the most challenging and singular origins they work with. The May 15th harvest from Bumba Hill closes out a beautiful season in Burundi with a profile that is both distinctly regional and deeply memorable. In the cup we find dried berries, spice, and orange marmalade.

THE PRODUCER

Bumba Hill is among the most remote growing areas SEY work with anywhere in the world. To reach it, one must cross three rivers and two provincial borders — and the farming communities here have long been without access to clean drinking water or electricity. Coffee is the most important crop on the hill, and it is cultivated by smallholder farmers who deliver their cherries to the Ninga washing station, operated by the Long Miles Coffee Project.

Long Miles is the dream of Ben and Kristy Carlson, who moved to Burundi in 2011 with the goal of connecting quality-focused roasters with exceptional Burundian farmers. From working with fifty growers in 2013, Long Miles now supports more than 5,500 — making an extraordinary impact socially, economically, and environmentally. A newer washing station on nearby Ninga Hill now allows farmers to deliver on foot or by bicycle, removing the three-hour trek that once stood between their harvest and the supply chain.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Ninga washing station involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — Hand-picked at peak ripeness
• 💧 Float & Sort — Floated and hand-sorted to further remove defects
• 🔧 Depulping — De-pulped on the day of harvest
• 🧪 Double Fermentation — Dry-fermented for 12 hours, then submerged in water for 24 hours
• 💧 Fresh Water Rinse — Rinsed in fresh water
• ✅ Density Grading — Graded by density for consistency
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Dried on traditional African raised beds for 16–20 days until moisture content reaches 10.5%

The distinctive double-fermentation step — combining dry and wet phases — is central to the complexity and regional character that defines these Bumba Hill lots.

THE CUP

A rich, warming, and distinctly Burundian cup that brings this year's season to a close on a high note. The May 15th harvest pass from Bumba Hill offers dried fruit depth, spice, and a marmalade sweetness that lingers long after the cup is finished.

Flavour Notes

• 🍒 Dried Berries
• 🌶️ Spice
• 🍊 Orange Marmalade