Epoch Chemistry Coffee - Epoch 9, Zuberi Matsitsi, Burundi - Light Roast (250 g)

Businde is a coffee washing station in the Kayanza District of Burundi. It has been in operation for over 10 years and has won the Cup of Excellence. Unlike other washing stations, Businde has its own plot of up-and-coming coffee plants. It's more common for small holder farmers to sell their coffee cherries to washing stations in Burundi, and the greater East Africa area. So, we're very excited about this upcoming project. The coffee here is sweet, well processed and the facilities are incredibly clean. We have wonderful photographs of Businde CWS.

Something unique about Businde CWS is that it is located in an area where a Twa community lives. This is extremely rare, as it is the least populated of the ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi, after the Hutu and Tutsi's. The Twa community are some of the poorest and most segregated groups when it comes to wealth inequality amongst ethnic groups. Businde CWS is located in the northern province of Kayanza, close to the Rwandan border, and employs many members of this nearby Twa community. *Note: in Rwanda, it is no longer socially acceptable to reference the ethnic grouping of Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. Though, in Burundi, this is still widely acknowledged.

This is a station with a wide reach to local coffee farmers, processing the cherry of 650 local farming families. As a washing station, it is important to consider the payment of workers who process the cherry, as well as the price received by those who cultivated them. Businde's producers have received a premium 20% above the local market rate this season. As a station, Businde pays its staff almost 60% above the rate for casual labour in Burundi.

To assist with the dispersing of coffee pulp, Matraco distributes this compost as fertilizer to help the farmers nearby. Along with this, they assist with the yields of local farmers by donating seedlings to their farms. Businde also has over 1000 of their own trees planted and harvested around the land at their station.

Washed coffees are fermented for 12 hours, in a traditional styling, where they're pulped at night, left in ceramic open-air tanks overnight, and cleaned and washed in the morning. They also go through a serpentine channel that sorts and separates by density. It is then left for approximately 20 days to dry on raised beds with consistent movement and rotations.

• Origin: Burundi (Single-Origin)
• Region: Businde, Kayanza
• Tasting Notes: Red apple, brown sugar, oolong tea, silky
• Roast Level: Medium
• Cultivar: Red Bourbon
• Elevation: 1600 - 1750 MASL
• Harvest Date: July 2022
• Fermentation: Traditional fully washed, 12-hour mucilage fermentation in open-air ceramic tanks
• Drying Time: 20 days on raised beds
• Drying Temperature: 30°C Max. - 16°C Min.
• Producer: Small Shareholders
• Process: Washed

About Epoch Chemistry Coffee

Epoch Chemistry started as a passionate endeavour in June 2020 to bring the best coffee to Atlantic Canada. What initially started as a dream of a cafe grew into an individual business model in coffee, focused on education and experience. Today, Epoch has a full roastery, two cafe locations, and a dedicated tasting room supported by a team of passionate coffee and business professionals. We believe specialty coffee should be approachable and fun, with a focus on circularity in our supply chains and to lead by example when it comes to ethical practices and sourcing.

We roast in a Nordic style; meaning we like to keep the profiles light-medium, as opposed to what we can typically find here in the East Coast. The reason we roast lighter profiles is to highlight the flavours of the high quality single origin green coffee we order from importers. In our coffees, you'll find notes varying from chocolate, dried fruits, and nuts to mulled wine, tropical fruits, and candy.

Sorry, coffee can only be delivered within Canada, due to FDA regulations.