Description
KAHAWA LINK COMPANY also known as KALICO is a family-owned company established in 2012 with seven washing stations located in Northern east of BURUNDI specifically in Kirundo and Muyinga provinces.
KALICO employs 44 permanent employees, 250 seasonal partners and approximately 25 000 producers who grow primarily the bourbon variety.
Angèle CIZA, the CEO, with an experience of over 20 years in coffee is a fervent supporter of sustainability and women empowerment. She believes that good coffee is achieved not only by using best practices from nurseries to picking but by investing in additional training, environmental protection, and social infrastructures, CSR for their producers.
KALICO coffee is processed on all its seven washing stations and farmed by surrounded smallholder farmers organized in cooperatives at an altitude of 1650-1750m above sea level on a volcanic soil with an average of 1500-1800mm rainfall per year.
Tasting Notes: A wonderful African but you have to like some acidity to enjoy this cup. Much of the premium cost to this cup is going to be on the lighter spectrum of roasting. Jazzy acidity on a very clean cup. These beans will taste good at almost any roast but close to into 2nd crack will burn out much of the floral/fruity and crisp cup character. Light roasts work well but would be considered front loaded, strong citric floral tones with just a hint of a herbal chocolate in the aftertaste, as it cool one can pick up hints of soft fruit but they are pretty covered up by the higher acidity. Medium roasts pull some nice balance, more chocolaty with classic Kenya tea like spice, not front loaded but still easy to identify the more citric/floral/fruity tones of the cup. We like it here best. Touching 2nd crack produced a much lower acidity cup, still crisp but not overly citric, really makes the more tea like spice pop out of the cup and are accompanied with hints of smoky tones. Much darker than this turned a bit bittersweet.
Roasting Notes: Easy to recommend a light to medium roast on this one. Keeps it very jazzy with awesome layers of taste. Even roasting with medium to low chaff, no big tricks. Does look one shade darker than it really is similar to many African or high altitude beans.
Region: Kirundo
Producer: Kalico (Kahawwa Link Company), Angela Ciza
Washing Station: Gasura
Variety: red bourbon
Elevation: 1650-1750 masl
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.