Nkanda | Burundi

Burundi — Nkanda Washing Station Red Bourbon (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍅 Persimmon • 🍵 Oolong • 🍑 Apricot

DETAILS

• Station: Nkanda Washing Station
• Region: Ngozi, Burundi
• Varietal: Red Bourbon
• Process: Washed (Double Fermentation)
• Altitude: 1,700–2,200 MASL
• Harvest: July 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Flower Child's final Burundian release from one of the best seasons the country has had in years — and their favourite separation from Nkanda, a station that has made a name for itself locally for consistently high-quality output. A poignant and inviting tea-like character, bright and clean, with a clear distinction of acidity and sweetness on the finish. In the cup: persimmon, oolong, and apricot, with dried cherry and citrus throughout.

THE PRODUCER

Nkanda Washing Station is located in Ngozi — a region just south of the celebrated Kayanza, new to Flower Child's Burundian programme this season, and producing coffees that are rich and vibrant in character. Burundi is a small, densely populated landlocked nation bordered by Tanzania, Rwanda, the DRC, and Lake Tanganyika — the deepest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. Coffee is the primary cash crop for much of the country's rural population, with the Burundian government mandating Red Bourbon as the national cultivar.

Nkanda's lots are meticulously separated by hill and community — typically representing extended multigenerational families — to honour the specific microclimates of each growing area. At 1,700–2,200 MASL across its farm range, the station draws on cherry from some of the most elevated and coolest growing conditions in Ngozi, building the deep sweetness and refined acidity that define this lot.

Red Bourbon, one of the most culturally and genetically important Arabica varieties in the world, thrives in Burundi's volcanic highland soils — where cool temperatures and slow cherry maturation produce the pronounced sweetness and refined fruit character that make the country's finest lots so compelling.

THE PROCESS

The Washed Double Fermentation process at Nkanda involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe Red Bourbon cherries selectively harvested and delivered to the station 🧪 12-hour wet fermentation — Cherries fermented in water for 12 hours 🧪 12-hour cement tank fermentation — Transferred to cement tanks for a further 12 hours of fermentation 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after double fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on traditional African raised beds for 20–25 days

The double fermentation is the defining step — two consecutive 12-hour phases, first in water and then in cement tanks, build the layered complexity and clean brightness that define this lot, while the 20–25 day raised-bed drying locks in the persimmon sweetness, oolong tea elegance, and apricot depth that make this such a beautiful final chapter to the Burundi season.

THE CUP

A bright, clean, and beautifully tea-like washed Red Bourbon from one of Ngozi's most quality-focused washing stations — persimmon sweetness, sweet oolong elegance, apricot warmth, and dried cherry and citrus accents in a cup with a clear and inviting distinction of acidity and sweetness on the finish. A stunning final Burundian release.

Flavour Notes

🍅 Persimmon 🍵 Oolong 🍑 Apricot