Burundi — Mutana Hill

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peaches • 🍵 Oolong Milk Tea • 🌿 Lemon Verbena

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DETAILS

• Producers: Local producers surrounding Heza washing station
• Washing Station: Heza
• Region: Kayanza, Burundi
• Varietals: Field Blend
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: Information not specified
• Size: 125g

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INTRO — From Long Miles' Most Remote Washing Station

Getting to Heza washing station requires long treks up mountainsides and crossing small hand-built log bridges—testament to Long Miles Coffee Project's commitment to serving communities that would otherwise face arduous journeys come harvest season. "Heza" means "Beautiful Place" in Kirundi, the local language, named for the enchanting views of the East African sky seen from these remote mountains.

This lot delivers exactly what you'd hope from Burundian coffee: intense oolong notes with subtle syrupy tones underneath, ripe and creamy peach and apricot flavours emerging as it cools, classic Ethiopian-style florals (lemon verbena, bergamot, jasmine) popping throughout. It's coffee that justifies the difficult journey required to process it.

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THE PRODUCER — Smallholders & Long Miles Coffee Project

Heza washing station serves local producers in one of Burundi's most remote coffee-growing regions. The station's location—requiring mountain treks and hand-built log bridge crossings to reach—demonstrates Long Miles Coffee Project's philosophy: bring processing infrastructure to farmers, rather than expecting farmers to transport cherries long distances to centralised facilities.

Long Miles Coffee Project was founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson in 2011 with a simple dream: help coffee growers by helping roasters source consistently high-quality coffees from Burundi. Starting with 50 farmers in 2013, the project has grown to work with over 6,000 producers across multiple washing stations, making an incredible impact socially, economically, and environmentally throughout Burundi's coffee-growing regions.

The smallholder model means cherries arriving at Heza come from numerous farms, each with slightly different microclimates and cultivation practices. Managing this diversity whilst maintaining quality requires rigorous cherry selection, careful lot separation, and processing expertise that Long Miles has perfected over more than a decade of operation.

The field blend nature of this lot—likely Red Bourbon and Mibirizi—reflects Burundian coffee's traditional varietal diversity. Rather than single-varietal lots, Burundian farmers typically grow multiple varieties together, creating natural blends that express the region's terroir across different genetic profiles.

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THE PROCESS — Traditional Burundian Washed Method

Long Miles employs rigorous traditional washed processing at Heza, applying the same quality standards across all their washing stations regardless of how remote the location:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Smallholders pick only ripe cherries for delivery to Heza
• 🌊 Flotation — Cherries floated to remove underripes and defects
• 👐 Hand Sorting — Additional manual quality control
• ⚙️ Depulping — Mechanical removal of skin and fruit
• 💧 Fermentation — Controlled fermentation to break down mucilage
• 🌊 Washing Channels — Multiple washing stages to remove all mucilage
• ⚖️ Density Grading — Parchment separated by density for quality consistency
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Traditional African raised beds ensuring even drying

The density grading step is particularly important in Burundian processing. By separating coffee by bean density after washing, Long Miles ensures only the highest-quality beans make it into premium lots like this one. Denser beans typically indicate better growing conditions, optimal ripeness at harvest, and superior cup quality.

The raised bed drying allows for gradual, even moisture removal whilst constant air circulation prevents defects. Despite Heza's remote location, Long Miles maintains the same processing standards that have made their coffees renowned—proving that geography doesn't determine quality when systems and expertise are properly implemented.

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THE VARIETALS — Red Bourbon & Mibirizi Field Blend

This lot likely combines Red Bourbon—Burundi's traditional variety known for sweet, syrupy character—with Mibirizi, a more recently introduced variety. Red Bourbon brings the classic sweetness and body that Burundian coffee is celebrated for, whilst Mibirizi adds complexity and potentially contributes to the bright, floral characteristics in the cup.

Field blends occur naturally when farmers cultivate multiple varieties together rather than in separated plots. Whilst single-varietal lots offer precision and repeatability, field blends often deliver greater complexity—each variety contributing different characteristics that create more dimensional cups than single varietals typically achieve.

The combination expresses beautifully in this lot: that syrupy oolong character and creamy peach sweetness likely come from Red Bourbon's genetics, whilst the bright florals (lemon verbena, bergamot, jasmine) may reflect Mibirizi's contribution or simply excellent Burundian terroir expressing across both varieties.

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THE CUP — Oolong Tea Evolving into Creamy Stone Fruit

This cup evolves beautifully as it cools, revealing layers of complexity that justify Long Miles' reputation. Initially, intense oolong notes dominate with subtle syrupy tones underneath. As temperature drops, ripe, creamy peach and apricot flavours emerge—milky sweetness like peach ice cream. Classic Ethiopian-style florals pop throughout the experience.

Flavour Notes

• 🍑 Peaches — ripe, creamy peach character emerging as the coffee cools
• 🍵 Oolong Milk Tea — intense oolong notes with milky sweetness
• 🌿 Lemon Verbena — bright, herbal-citrus florals

The oolong milk tea character sets the foundation—there's genuine tea-like quality here, with that particular milky sweetness that makes milk oolong so distinctive. Subtle syrupy notes underneath add body and richness. As the cup cools, the stone fruit character emerges beautifully: ripe, creamy peaches and apricots with that milky sweetness reminiscent of peach ice cream.

The florals are described as "classic eth[iopian] florals"—and indeed, there's that pronounced aromatic character typical of East African coffee. Lemon verbena provides bright, herbal-citrus notes. Bergamot adds sophisticated aromatic complexity. Jasmine brings classic floral perfume that ties everything together.

The body is syrupy and satisfying, coating the palate with that characteristic Burundian richness. The acidity is present but integrated, providing structure without sharp brightness. The finish is clean and sweet, with those tea and floral notes extending beautifully.

This lot from Heza washing station demonstrates that Long Miles Coffee Project's commitment extends to even the most remote corners of Burundi's coffee-growing regions. Despite requiring mountain treks and hand-built bridges to reach, Heza produces coffee that stands alongside the project's more accessible washing stations—proof that with proper systems, expertise, and dedication, exceptional quality can come from anywhere.

What is the roast recency?

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 6-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12 - should we have any left in stock!). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.