Burundi Nyagashia Akawa Project: Sample Coffee Brew Crew

Burundi
Nyagashia
Akawa Project

Flavours of riesling, mandarin, cherry
Body Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Nyagashiha (pronounced NIA-GASH-IYA) meaning comes from the historical tree variety that once grew in the Murago region. This tree in Burundi’s local dialect Kurundi was called “Imishiha” and served for the construction of houses within the community.

The Nyagashiha mill is one of 13 mills that form the Akawa project. A joint venture between SUCCAM and Supremo, the Akawa project was created to help producers escape the cycle of poverty in a sustainable and equitable way. Producers, striving for fairer remunerations and better living conditions, demanded a path towards prosperity. As such the project’s working directives are based around UTZ certification standards, focusing on good agricultural practices, environmental responsibility and social equity as the central tenets of success for project members.

Producer: Akawa Project
Country: Burundi
Region: Murago
Altitude: 1530m above sea level
Varietals: Bourbon
Process: Washed
Body: Light
Acidity: Bright

What makes up Burundi Nyagashia Akawa Project?

Varietals

Bourbon varietal

A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated Typica plants, that naturally mutated.

The location

Coffee from Burundi

Coffee first arrived in Burundi in the 1920s while the country was still under Belgian colonial rule. Since the civil war in 1993 Burundi has placed a great importance on growing the coffee industry and the flow on effects that will have on the country’s economy.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.