Burundi — Long Miles Coffee Project Munyinya Hill (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍐 Yellow Pear • 🍫 Milk Chocolate • 🍋 Lime • 🌿 Clean & Bright

DETAILS

• Producer: Smallholder farmers of Munyinya Hill
• Station: Bukeye Washing Station
• Region: Kayanza, Burundi
• Varietal: Red Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1760 MASL
• Harvest: September–October
• Size: 283g (10oz)

INTRO

This deliciously clean and vibrant washed lot comes from the Munyinya Hill community in Kayanza, processed at the Bukeye washing station managed by the Long Miles Coffee Project. Munyinya was the first hill that revealed to Long Miles the extraordinary potential for micro-lots in Burundi, and it remains one of the most anticipated coffees they produce each season.

The cup is everything a great Burundi should be — a harmonious balance of ripe yellow pear, creamy milk chocolate, and a lime-bright finish that keeps you reaching for another sip.

THE PRODUCER

In 2011, Ben and Kristy Carlson moved to Burundi with a singular vision: to create a farmer-driven coffee programme that connected roasters with the beautiful coffees of this small landlocked country. It began at the Bukeye washing station in Kayanza province, where the Munyinya Hill community produces some of their finest lots. The Long Miles team supports over 5,500 coffee-growing families, providing year-round agronomic support, paying above-market prices for cherry, and returning annual premiums directly to farmers.

Munyinya Hill lies just beyond the border of the Bukeye commune. Coffee trees line the steep, cinematic slopes, and despite a difficult history — including years where Long Miles nearly gave up on this hill due to inconsistent cherry quality — persistence and dedicated farmer education transformed Munyinya into one of the most respected micro-lots in the Long Miles programme. The Coffee Scout programme embedded locally has been instrumental, with trained agronomists working alongside farming families season after season.

Onyx Coffee have worked closely with Long Miles since first visiting their mills in 2015, building one of their deepest and most enduring producer relationships. This Munyinya Hill lot is a direct expression of that trust and collaboration.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Bukeye Washing Station involves:

• 🍒 Selective Hand-Picking — Only fully ripe red cherries are accepted; quality control at the station gate ensures strict cherry standards
• ✅ Floating & Sorting — Cherries are floated and sorted by density to remove defects and ensure uniform quality
• 🔧 De-Pulping — Cherries are de-pulped on the day of delivery, separating the seeds from the skin
• 💧 Fermentation — Depulped seeds ferment in tanks to break down residual mucilage, typically 24–48 hours
• 💧 Channel Washing — Coffee is washed thoroughly through channels, graded by density
• ☀️ Raised-Bed Drying — Parchment is dried on raised African beds for 16–20 days until moisture content reaches 10.5%

The result is a cup of exceptional clarity and sweetness — a hallmark of Long Miles' meticulous station management and the unique microclimate of Munyinya Hill.

THE CUP

Clean, bright, and elegant — this Munyinya Hill lot exemplifies the best of what Burundi's Kayanza region can offer. Ripe yellow pear leads with a lifted, juicy quality, giving way to the creamy comfort of milk chocolate in the mid-palate. A clean lime acidity in the finish adds precision and length, leaving a refreshing, lingering sweetness. Exceptional on filter; surprisingly capable as a bright, fruit-forward espresso.

Flavour Notes

• 🍐 Yellow Pear
• 🍫 Milk Chocolate
• 🍋 Lime