We’re pleased to introduce the second edition of our limited release FreeForm Reserve coffees, Burundi Gashoho Bavyeyi.
FreeForm Reserve is our newest project, an opportunity for us to showcase the finest offerings from innovative coffee producers around the world. For our second release, we’ve selected a natural processed gem to share with you from one of our favorite origins: the small but mighty East African country of Burundi.
Flavor Profile
Gashoho Bavyeyi is a bright and lively coffee, with notes of ripe blackberry, a rich chocolatey structure, and hints of nectarine and lemon. We love the harmonious balance of rich sweetness, a fuller body, and a notably bright lemony acidity, which acts as a palate cleanser on the finish, inviting sip after sip.
When brewed in a variety of methods, Gashoho Bavyey showed remarkable versatility and a spectrum of flavor from rich caramel and candied lemon to ripe berries and rose. From batch brew to espresso, and everything in between, Gashoho Bavyeyi delivers!
Coffee in Burundi
Coffee has a storied history in Burundi, originally introduced to the country in the 1920s by Belgian colonialists. While under colonial rule, farmers were forced to grow coffee, often with little to no resources or compensation. In the years since the country's independence in 1962, Burundi has struggled with civil war, violence, and economic instability. These struggles soured many Burundi farmers on coffee cultivation for years.
Fortunately for coffee lovers, Burundi's perfect environment for coffee growing couldn’t keep coffee away for long. The promise of specialty coffee, and the higher compensation that comes with it, has led to a renewed interest in coffee among farmers… this time with more focus on cooperation, education, and quality. While Burundi still faces many challenges, particularly climate change and deforestation, coffee has grown to become the country's largest agricultural export and an important part of Burundi's future prosperity and stability.
Sourcing Information
This coffee was produced by JNP Coffee, an organization led by Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, one of the most influential individuals in modern Burundi coffee. JNP Coffee is an exporter of East African coffees, focused on education, partnership and empowering women coffee farmers to gain access to property ownership and education. JNP manages several processing stations, which have grown in popularity with farmers due to a unique second-payment incentive for delivering high-quality cherries.
This particular lot comes from smallholder farmers in the Gashoho municipality in the Muyinga province, who bring their ripe coffee cherries to the nearby Bavyeyi III processing station. Muyinga, a region naturally ideal for coffee cultivation — consistently high elevations, generously fertile soils, and unique arabica varietals — has been historically under-appreciated and under-invested due to its distance from the capital. Jeanine and JNP seek to change this narrative and help the Gashoho farmers increase the quality and compensation from their harvests.
About FreeForm Reserve
With extremely limited availability, FreeForm Reserve coffees are available on a pre-order basis only and will be roasted bi-weekly. Burundi Gashoho Bavyeyi is limited to just 100 8oz bags, each of which will be individually numbered and packaged in our 8oz kraft bag with gold foil printing. Fancy!
FreeForm Reserve releases are only available as whole bean coffee, and we highly recommend that you enjoy these coffees within a month from the roast date.
The next available roast and shipment date are listed below the "Preorder" button.
