Cedar is back with another brilliant Burundi! Our friends over in Woodstock have had a strong rotation of Burundi coffees so far this year, showcasing their bright, fruity flavours and supporting standout Burundian coffee cooperatives which in turn support the local farmers and communities they work with. This particular lot comes via Migoti Coffee Company. Migoti was formed by engineers Dan Brose and Pontein Ntunzwenimana in 2015 with a vision to connect Burundi — whose socio-economic stability was still fragile following years of colonial extortion, military dictatorship and civil disarray — to the rest of the world. 

By showcasing superb Burundian coffee to the world and developing direct trade relationships abroad, Migoti hopes to bring in foreign investment and grow an industry that can provide stable employment and economic stimulation for the people of Burundi. This began with the construction of a state-of-the-art washing station in an elevated region known as Migoti, in the Mutambu commune of Bujumbura province. Since then, Migoti Coffee Co. has been working with and supporting local smallholder farms with commercial expertise, equipment, training, and educational resources. This provides them with the opportunity to showcase their crop on the world stage, and indeed Migoti has become famous for sourcing and exporting some of the very best coffee Burundi has to offer. 

This lot is a particularly interesting example of a Burundian coffee due to its unorthodox processing method: anaerobic fermentation. This process involves placing whole coffee cherries in airtight tanks or drums and leaving them for several days. Over this period, the natural yeasts and bacteria found on the surface of the coffee cherry ferment the sugars inside of it in an oxygen-deprived environment, which can result in the development of complex, unexpected flavours and a wine-like acidity.

Phaedon's tasting notes

I'm quite partial to a Red Bourbon lot from Burundi, and recently many of the best I've tried have been from Migoti. I was quite excited when I heard about this new release, as I believe it's the first anaerobic lot we've had from these producers.

As many of my favourite Burundian coffees are, this one is delightfully fruity, with a viscous body and lots of sweetness. There's definitely a candy quality to the flavour profile, and a surprising amount of clarity in the cup. While there are some hints of citrus and tart berries, I personally picked up nectarine notes in all my favourite brews, which included my siphon, my Chemex and my trusty Bialetti moka pot.

Cedar’s notes

“[Cooked fruit.] Sweet and tangy, notes of citrus and raspberry. On espresso these notes are even more prevalent in the cup whereas on milk the drink becomes quite delicate with notes of white wafer chocolate.”

• Cup profile: Raspberry molasses, Iron Brew, white wafer chocolate

Coffee details from Cedar

“Migoti's lots this year has been nothing short of amazing. Dan and his team [have] so much to offer and we wanted to showcase their variety exploring different hills, washing stations and processes. Our [other] Burundi on offer is our Kigina Hill Natural from [Migoti’s] newest washing station, but this particular lot takes it back to where it all started at their first ever washing station.

“Mutambu Hills is a grouping of 384 coffee farmers from four different hills that have been delivering coffee cherries to [Migoti’s] first washing station named: Migoti Washing Station. Little known fact: all the coffee trees planted [here] are community owned.

“This particular lot is the first time we’re showcasing an Anaerobic Natural from Migoti. This brought out quite an interesting flavour profile compared to [the Kigina Hill lot].”

• Country: Burundi
• Region: Bujumbura Rurale Province, Mutambu Commune
• Farm: Local smallholder farms of Mutambu Commune
• Washing station: Migoti Hill washing station, owned by Migoti Coffee Co.
• Process:  Natural, anaerobic fermentation
• Altitude: 1500 - 1600 masl
• Variety: Red Bourbon