Burundi — Umoco Washing Station, Busambo Hill Field Blend (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍇Fruit Leather • 🍵 Black Tea • 🌿 Baking Spice

DETAILS

• Producer: Smallholders delivering to Umoco Washing Station
• Farm / Washing Station: Umoco Washing Station — Busambo Hill
• Region: Kayanza, Burundi
• Varietal: Field Blend (Red Bourbon, Mibirizi, likely SL34)
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL
• Harvest: May 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

This is SEY's first year working with the Umoco washing station, continuing their long exploration of Burundi as an origin. Coffees from this corner of north-western Burundi — positioned close to Lake Kivu — hold a uniquely distinctive place in the world of specialty coffee, and nowhere else quite replicates their character. In the cup, expect dark fruit leather, black tea, and baking spice.

THE PRODUCER

This lot arrives through a new supply chain in Burundi — a country that, despite producing some of the most recognisable and celebrated coffee profiles in specialty, remains genuinely difficult to source from. The Umoco washing station sits on Busambo Hill in the Kayanza region, a part of Burundi long associated with exceptional quality.

Kayanza's coffees benefit from high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and the moderating influence of nearby Lake Kivu. The lot marks the beginning of an effort by SEY to deepen and broaden their exploration of this remarkable origin.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Umoco involves:

• 🍒 Hand-Picking — Cherry selected at peak ripeness by smallholder producers
• ✅ Floating & Sorting — Floated and hand-sorted to remove defects before processing
• 🔧 De-Pulping — De-pulped on the day of harvest
• 🧪 Dual Fermentation — Dry-fermented for 12 hours, then submerged in water for a further 24 hours
• 💧 Rinsing & Grading — Rinsed in fresh water and density graded
• ☀️ Drying — Dried on traditional African raised beds for 16–20 days to approximately 10.5% moisture content

This careful, multi-stage fermentation and thorough drying protocol is what gives Busambo Hill its characteristic clarity alongside deep, complex fruit character.

THE CUP

Umoco Busambo Hill delivers the hallmark profile of great Kayanza coffee: dark and layered, with the depth of fruit leather and black tea underpinned by a warm baking spice finish. It is both structured and expressive — a compelling introduction to what this new supply chain can offer.

Flavour Notes

• 🍇 Fruit Leather
• 🍵 Black Tea
• 🌿 Baking Spice