Burundi Gahahe – washed green coffee (1 kg)

Origin: Kayanza, northern Burundi
Producer: 873 small farmers, Gahahe washing station (Greenco Coffee)
Growing altitude: 1 800 m
Varieties: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Harvested: 2025/2026

High up in the Kayanza province of northern Burundi is the Gahahe washing station – one of thirteen stations run by Greenco Coffee, a company that has more or less dominated the country’s Cup of Excellence competitions since its inception in 2015. Here, 873 small farmers deliver their hand-picked berries, often from microscopic farms with no more than 250 trees. Burundi is one of Africa’s most overlooked coffee countries, but one where the conditions are right: high altitude, old Bourbon genetics, and a cool mountain climate that allows for long, even ripening. That a station like Gahahe can collect, separate and process thousands of small shipments into a homogeneous micro-lot of this class is a testament to how far the country’s quality work has come.

The lot is made up exclusively of Red Bourbon, and the quality work is meticulous. The berries are float-separated and hand-sorted before the skin is removed within six hours of delivery. The coffee is then dry fermented for up to 12 hours, rinsed and soaked in pure mountain water for up to a further 24 hours – a double fermentation process that produces the pure, crystal-clear acidity that has become Burundi’s signature. The beans are then dried on raised beds for two to three weeks with regular turning. And the sorting doesn’t stop there: at the country’s largest processing plant in Gitega, each individual bean is examined by hand and under UV light to ensure zero defects. The raw coffee responds well to all degrees of roasting, but we roasted it ourselves in between – a profile that is ideal for filters and pourovers, where elegance reigns supreme.

In the cup, you are greeted by an elegant and floral experience with hibiscus in the aroma. Strawberry and black currant coexist with a foundation of dark chocolate, while a smooth vanilla sweetness and soft caramel carry the flavor through a long, balanced finish. This is Burundi at its finest level – a raw coffee for the home roaster who seeks African elegance with both fruit depth and structure.

This green coffee arrived at the roastery on February 3, 2026 and is from the 2025/2026 harvest.