Burundi, Mikuba

Description

Producer Long Miles Coffee Project Farm/Mill Mikuba Hill / Heza Washing Station Cultivar Red Bourbon Process Washed Location Kayanza, Burundi Altitude 1,800 MASL Harvest June 2025   Expect notes of Red Apple, Candied Orange, Hibiscus Mikuba Hill sits in the Kayanza province of Burundi, flanked by the Ruvubu River and the edge of the Kibira Rainforest. The coffee is produced by smallholder farmers and processed at the Heza washing station, part of the Long Miles Coffee Project. Heza means "beautiful place" in Kirundi, and the name fits — the surrounding hills are covered in wildflowers, acacia forests, and banana canopies that shade the coffee as it grows. Only ripe Red Bourbon cherries are selected and delivered to Heza, where they are hand-sorted, pulped, and undergo a double fermentation — first dry for around 12 hours, then wet for up to 24 hours. The parchment is washed twice, graded by density in water channels, and slowly dried on raised African beds for 16 to 20 days. Coffee scouts Anicet and Patrice work closely with the farming communities across Mikuba, helping with pruning, fertilisation, and managing the antestia bug — a persistent challenge in Burundi responsible for the potato defect. Their steady, hands-on support has been central to the quality gains coming from this hill year after year.