Ninga Hill Washed Bourbon | Burundi

Burundi — Long Miles Coffee Project Ninga Hill Bourbon (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Lemon Tea • 🍬 Raw Sugar • 🌴 Dates

DETAILS

• Producer: Long Miles Coffee Project & Ninga Hill Producers
• Station: Ninga Hill Washing Station
• Region: Muramvya, Burundi
• Varietal: Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800–2,000 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

From one of Burundi's most remote washing stations — Ninga Hill, the third station established by the Long Miles Coffee Project in the Muramvya region. A collective harvest of Bourbon from local producers, processed with the precision and care that has made Long Miles one of East Africa's most respected specialty operations. In the cup: delicate lemon tea acidity, raw sugar sweetness, and a deep date-like richness, with a light body and a sweet finish.

THE PRODUCER

The Long Miles Coffee Project was founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson in 2011, after moving to Burundi and witnessing first-hand the injustice and poor farming practices that had taken hold in the country's newly privatised coffee industry. Seeing that roasters worldwide were also struggling to access consistent, high-quality Burundian coffee, Ben and Kristy created Long Miles as a response to both problems simultaneously — building washing stations in remote, high-altitude areas, paying fair prices to smallholder farmers, and producing traceable, quality-focused lots for roasters around the world.

Ninga Hill is the most remote of Long Miles' three stations, serving Bourbon producers in the Muramvya region at 1,800–2,000 MASL. Bourbon, one of the oldest and most revered Arabica varieties, was first introduced to Africa via Bourbon Island (now Réunion) in the early 1700s, and remains the foundation of Burundian specialty coffee — prized for its deep sweetness, complex fruit character, and exceptional cup quality.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Ninga Hill involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe Bourbon cherries selectively harvested by smallholder producers 💧 Flotation — Floated to remove defects before processing 🔧 De-pulping — Depulped on the day of harvest 🧪 Dry fermentation — Single dry fermentation for 12 hours 💧 Rinsing — Rinsed in fresh water after fermentation 🔍 Density grading — Graded by density before drying ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on traditional African raised beds for 16–20 days

The same-day depulping and 12-hour dry fermentation are the defining steps — a precise and restrained approach that preserves the Bourbon's natural sweetness and delicate citric character while maintaining the clean, light body and sweet finish that make this such an elegant and approachable lot.

THE CUP

A delicate, clean, and beautifully balanced washed Bourbon from one of Burundi's most remote and purposeful washing stations — lemon tea brightness, raw sugar warmth, and a deep date sweetness in a light-bodied cup with a long, sweet finish. A compelling everyday coffee that speaks quietly and clearly of what Long Miles Coffee Project has built in Muramvya.

Flavour Notes

🍋 Lemon Tea 🍬 Raw Sugar 🌴 Dates