Karibu [2021]

Karibu. You are welcome. A Swahili word you’ll hear throughout parts of East Africa and a truth when sharing time with the Long Miles team in Burundi. We’re thrilled for this inaugural partnership with Long Miles Coffee, who are producing some of the best quality coffee in Burundi. While they paid the highest prices for coffee cherries in the country this year, the Scouts Program and Trees For Kibira project are layers to this partnership that excite and inspire us for the future. Lurking immediately above Heza Washing Station on the slopes of Gitwe Hill, the Long Miles Coffee Farm’s 7,000 trees have pretty speccy panoramic views. On clear days you’ll catch glimpses of the Rwandan border and tips of the Kibira Forest. This is the sixth coffee harvest for the farm, which has served the team’s pioneering sundried natural coffee initiative so well. Fresh cherries are floated then hand sorted, before heading straight to the drying tables for twenty-five to thirty days. The whole coffee cherry dries in its own skin which turns from deep red to purple-black as it dries to the desired 10.5% moisture level. Our love affair for naturally processed coffee is no secret, and here’s another reason why. With meticulous processing, this micro lot holds stunning acidity and sweetness reminiscent of creamy blueberry and tropical fruit chews. We’ve sourced this coffee directly from Long Miles Coffee. $1 from every bag sold is contributed to Trees For Kibira - a project planting indigenous trees to aid the health of the Kibira Forest and coffee-growing communities. In response to a lack of indigenous trees, acidic eroding soils and insufficient shade for the changing climate, over 320,000 trees have been distributed to 2,700 farmers since 2018. Continued funding is necessary to continue distributing trees to more farmers and ongoing management, so we’re keen to get involved! Follow their story @longmilescoffee. DEEP DIVE + PRODUCER : Long Miles Coffee CROP YEAR : 2021 COUNTRY : Burund