Description
CAFEX was launched by a Belgian-Burundian couple that wanted to combine the coffee production of their ancestral lands with sustainable development and a desire to improve the lives of the local population. CAFEX has developed a profitable business model for all parties based on mutual participation with growers.
Since its inception, the CAFEX station has positively impacted families in the region. The town where the washing station is located is undeveloped and the implementation of the CAFEX station has provided job opportunities to the local men and women, as well as better and more sustainble salary to improve their quality of life. Families who have a seasonal job have the opportunity to receive an extra income that gives them access to medical care or allows them to buy books in order to send their children to school. Whereas many coffee producers have to wait many months to receive final payment for their harvest, CAFEX has introduced a weekly payment to growers, with no delay. It allows them to have a regular income throughout the harvest coffee season.
This lot is milled at IKAWA NZIZA which began in 2013 as a partnership between the owners of CAFEX mill & Schluter (now Covoya Europe) specifically aimed at building and promoting the specialty coffee production in Burundi. IKAWA NZIZA’s mill is the first purpose-built specialty drymill in Burundi, designed to cater for high-quality microlot coffees.
Tasting Notes: A wonderful example of a fruity natural! Light to medium roasts are where this cup will shine. Hints of lemony floral acidity comingle with sweet red fruit tones, balancing with an herbal chocolate like undertone. Can be a little sharp at traditional light roasts, but it will be the sweetest and fruitiest roast point. Medium roasts get much more chocolaty and smooth, bringing the darker tones to the foreground, it will retain the red fruit tone nicely still, lingers a bit in the aftertaste. Darker roasts pick up some stronger roasty tones, compliments the more chocolate and spice aspects of the cup, especially as it cools, the fruitiness will jump right out even at darker roast points.
Roasting Notes: Even roasting for a fruity natural but does have some decent chaff on the beans. A slight reduction in batch size will help keep it an easy to roast coffee. Clean cup from light to dark, a fun bean to try different roast levels with. Good to let it setup a bit longer at either light or dark roasts, will produce a much smoother more defined cup.
Emerick Bultman –
This really surprised me with its unique, standout flavor.