Description
The story of this coffee begins with Ben and Kristy Carlson, an American family who moved to Burundi in 2011. They soon realized that while the country boasted exceptional terroir for coffee cultivation, the industry faced low wages for farmers and inconsistent quality for buyers, often affected by the well-known potato defect. To change this, they founded the Long Miles Coffee Project. This project is not just a purchasing operation; it’s a community revolution. They introduced “Coffee Explorers,” local agronomists who work year-round with farmers to improve tree health and eliminate pests organically. By connecting roasters directly with these farming communities, Long Miles ensures that farmers receive fair wages and that the coffee is traceable and of exceptional purity.
While our previous Burundi offering came from the Bukeye station, this unique microlot comes from the Heza Washing Station. Built a year after Bukeye, Heza sits even deeper in the mountains, at an impressive 1,960 meters (6,400 feet) above sea level. The journey to Heza is an off-road adventure through remote terrain, ideal for a estancia whose name means “Beautiful Place” in Kirundi, the local language. It is here, in this cooler, higher climate, that the Long Miles team pioneered their Natural and Honey processing methods, as the lower temperatures allow for the slow, controlled drying essential for these delicate styles.
The name “Mutana” refers to the specific hill where this coffee was grown. Mutana is one of the highest hills supplying the estancia, with farms exceeding 2,100 meters. It lies right on the edge of the Kibira rainforest, where the soil is sandy and the air is often shrouded in a dense mist. Due to the extreme altitude, Mutana Hill coffee cherries ripen much more slowly than others, developing complex sugars and greater density. For this “Natural” lot, farmers deliver the whole cherry, which is then dried intact on raised beds for 25 to 30 days. The fruit changes from a deep red to a purplish hue similar to a prune, as the bean absorbs all the sweetness of the pulp.
In the cup, this Natural Process Burundian coffee offers a completely different experience from its washed counterpart. While the washed version was savory and herbal, Mutana Natural is fruity with jammy notes. You can expect a vibrant bouquet of red berries like strawberries and sweet raspberries with a distinctive floral note that often recalls lavender or hibiscus. Its body is dense and rich, with a lingering, honey-like sweetness. It maintains the clean structure for which Long Miles is famous, avoiding the fermented or alcoholic flavors sometimes found in less careful natural processes.
Testing Notes: We thought these beans best at a nice medium roast: clean, floral and semi-fruity cup. The lovely lighter tones balance with a little chocolate and spice note. Medium body, lower acidity, and a bit sweeter. The fruitiness is delicate and down the red fruit alley, strawberry, or a touch of lychee appear on the nose and palate, supported by a chocolate/caramel/spice darker note. We had one taster say it was more of a banana-like sweetness. Lighter roasting will accentuate the citric acidity and lean it towards mandarin/lemon tones leaving the cup crisper and sweeter but can pull a little earthy contrast if too light.
Roasting Notes: Easy to roast and versatile from light to dark. If you want to highlight floral notes and citric acidity with banana-like sweetness, aim for a lighter roast with a short development after the first crack. Medium roasting will achieve the best balance between red fruit (strawberry/lychee), caramel, and chocolate, while maintaining a very pleasant medium body. Medium-dark roasting will enhance body and more pronounced nutty/chocolate tones, hiding most of the citric and fruity tones. As a natural processed it does have higher chaff levels but will roast pretty even. Avoid entering 2nd crack if you want to maintain cleanliness and sweetness.
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