Burundi Kibingo Oro

This yeast-treated, fully washed microlot from the Kibingo washing station combines bright berries with floral notes, citrus, and a black tea body. Delicate and juicy!

After harvesting, the coffee cherries are pulped and then fermented with a yeast—Lalcafé ORO™—specifically developed for coffee production. The yeast’s unique metabolism—which, among other things, extends the fermentation time—allows the beans’ fresh and fruity characteristics to develop further. The prolonged fermentation also produces more developed flavors with increased complexity, sweetness, and acidity.

The Kibingo washing station is located in the Kayanza commune in northern Burundi, at an altitude of 1,893 meters above sea level. The surrounding farms that supply coffee to the station are situated on nearby hills, at elevations between 1,700 and 1,900 meters. Kibingo works with 1,739 registered coffee farmers, spread across 18 hills in the region.

Most coffee trees in Burundi are of the Red Bourbon variety, which is valued for its high quality. However, since many coffee farms are small, aging rootstock is a major issue. Many farmers have trees that are over 50 years old, and with limited land available, it is difficult to justify taking them out of production during the 3–4 years it takes for newly planted trees to begin yielding harvests.

Despite the widespread coffee cultivation in Burundi, each smallholder produces a relatively modest yield. The average farmer has around 250 trees, which are usually grown in their gardens. Since each tree yields about 1.5 kilos of coffee cherries, most producers sell roughly 200–300 kilos of coffee cherries per year.