Burundi Masha
Cupping Notes: Black Cherry, Apple, Stone Fruit, Caramel
This natural lot comes from the Masha hillside where the Masha Washing Station is located. The hill is actually more famous for its cattle than its coffee. The name Masha comes from the Kirundi word “amasho”, meaning “herds of cattle”. The hill has been a crossroad for many herds in the region. Many of the local herders greet each other with a unique phrase only used in this region. They say, “gira amasho”, which means “owner of cows”. This station is run by Greenco, a company that oversees and structures washing stations in Kayanza province of Burundi, gives washing stations and producers support all along the production chain. They started their work in 2015, and have dominated all Cup of Excellence competitions in Burundi ever since. Currently, Greenco has 13 washing stations all located in Kayanza in the north of Burundi.
During the harvest season, all coffee is selectively handpicked. Most families only have 200 to 250 trees, and harvesting is done almost entirely by the family.
Quality assurance begins as soon as farmers deliver their cherry. All cherry is floated in small buckets as a first step to check its quality. Greenco will purchase floaters (damaged, underripe, etc) but immediately separates the two qualities and only markets floaters as B-quality cherry. After floating, the higher quality cherry is sorted again by hand to remove all damaged, underripe and overripe cherries.
Cherry is laid in thin layers on raised tables where it is turned frequently to enable even drying. Cherry is covered when its rains, during the hottest part of the day and overnight.
Coffee in Burundi has joined the ranks of elite African coffee over the course of the last tens years or so and we’re happy to see lots like Masha arriving with vibrant fruitiness in the cup. We get notes of Black Cherry, Apple, Stone Fruit, and Caramel.