BURUNDI - KAYANZA WASHED

This Whole Bean coffee is single origin and single harvest. 

Best for both filter and espresso.

REGION : KAYANZA PROVINCE, BURUNDI

PROCESS: Bourbon, Washed

ALTITUDE: 1650 - 1950 MASL (meters above sea level)

CHAMOMILE, PERSIMMON, SILKY.

Whole Bean. Net weight 250g (8.8 oz)

Psst, did you know that higher altitude coffees have naturally lower caffeine? All coffees sourced and roasted by So Coffee are Arabica (1,500 meters + above sea level)

Gakenke Washing Station, established in 1991 in Burundi’s Kayanza Province, works with 2,667 smallholder farmers who cultivate coffee on very small plots, often averaging just a tenth of a hectare. Alongside coffee, families grow crops such as bananas, beans, cassava, yams, and taro for household consumption and supplemental income. Located in Burundi’s northern highlands near the Rwandan border, Kayanza is widely regarded as one of the country’s most important coffee-producing regions, known for altitude, fertile soils, and favorable growing conditions.

Because most farmers own limited land and lack access to individual milling infrastructure, freshly harvested cherries are delivered to centralized washing stations like Gakenke. Here, coffees are sorted, blended, and processed collectively. Washing stations play a critical role in Burundi’s coffee system, acting as hubs for quality control and post-harvest processing. Microlots are later selected from these daylots based on cup quality, creating blends that represent multiple producers rather than a single traceable farm.

Since 2006, coffees from more than 50 washing stations across Burundi have been evaluated to identify exceptional quality and processing standards. Gakenke consistently stands out for producing clean, vibrant coffees with structured acidity, layered sweetness, and a distinctive regional character that reflects the highlands of Kayanza.