Coffee Story
In 2019, Long Miles introduced the Ninga Washing Station, located 10 kilometres from Bukeye, at an elevation of 1,900 metres, by the Nkokoma River. This initiative aimed to support local coffee farmers who faced long journeys to find fair prices for their cherries. Despite its beauty, the area struggles with access to clean drinking water and electricity, and even familiar products like Coca-Cola are rare.
Farmers in Ninga have endured various conflicts in Burundi, often seeking refuge in nearby hills. When they returned, they worked hard to restore their neglected land, resulting in the consistent production of high-quality coffees with complex flavours.
Travelling to Bumba Hill involves crossing three rivers and two provincial borders. This community also wrestles with similar challenges. Coffee is the primary crop, supplemented by corn and beans. A vibrant local market showcases fresh produce and fosters community connections, centred around a single primary school.
Fresh cherries are delivered to the washing station, where they are hand-sorted for ripeness, pulped, and fermented. The parchment undergoes a twelve-hour dry fermentation, followed by rinsing and grading. It is then dried for six to forty-eight hours on covered tables, followed by traditional African raised tables for slow drying over sixteen to twenty days to reach 10.5% moisture.
In the natural processing method, cherries are sorted and placed directly on drying tables, taking twenty-five to thirty days to dry while achieving the same moisture level. This exquisite dry-process lot from Bumba Hill comprises three separate harvests from April 8th, April 15th, and May 2nd, 2025. In dry processing, the coffee cherries remain intact throughout the drying stage, which typically takes between two and four weeks. For these three lots, the average drying time on the tables was five weeks. This extended drying period often enhances the fruity flavours, which is certainly true for this lot.
Due to the low moisture content (below 10%), we employed a low-and-slow roasting method. This approach facilitates more complex caramelization of sugar while preserving the juicy and vibrant fruit flavours. The resulting cup profile showcases prominent top notes built on a foundation of rich sweetness, accompanied by wine-like accents and tropical fruit flavours. As the coffee cools, the flavour profile evolves, revealing fresh berry notes of blackberry and blueberry, with hints of dried peach and guava lingering in the finish.
