Ingredients
Coffee
- 30 gBurundian washed arabica beans, whole, roasted light to medium and rested 7 to 14 days after roasting
- 500 mlfiltered water at 94°C (200°F)
Equipment
- 1burr grinder
- 1pour-over cone with paper filter, or a French press
- 1scale and 1 timer
Local serving
- 2 tspsugar per cup, to taste
- Hot milk, optional
Directions
- Grind 30 g of beans to medium-coarse, like coarse sea salt, immediately before brewing.
- Pour 60 ml of the 94°C (200°F) water over the grounds and wait 40 seconds for the bloom — fresh coffee will dome and release carbon dioxide.
- Pour the remaining water in three even additions, keeping the bed level, finishing all pouring by 2 minutes 30. The whole drawdown should complete by 3 minutes 30 to 4 minutes.
- Serve black in a warmed cup at around 65°C (150°F).
Technique
- Coffee is Burundi’s largest export and the income of hundreds of thousands of smallholdings, yet domestic consumption is tiny — most of the best lots leave the country, and locally the drink is usually sweet, dark and boiled.
- The potato defect, a hard raw-potato smell caused by a bacterial infection carried by antestia bugs, occasionally appears in East African lots. It affects single beans, so if one cup smells of raw potato, brew another rather than condemning the bag.
- Water temperature and grind matter more than any equipment. Boiling water scorches these delicate florals; 92 to 94°C (200°F) is the window.
Substitutions
- No pour-over cone: use a French press with the same ratio, a coarser grind, a 4 minute steep and a slow plunge.
- If you can only find dark-roasted beans, brew slightly cooler and coarser — the roast will have buried the floral character anyway.
Variations
- Some washing stations produce natural (dried-in-cherry) and honey lots, which are heavier, sweeter and much fruitier than the classic washed style.
- In rural households coffee is boiled in a pot with sugar and served in glasses, closer to the East African street style.
History
Belgian administrators made coffee planting compulsory from 1930; it is now Burundi’s biggest export, grown by hundreds of thousands of smallholders.
Frequently asked questions
What is Burundian coffee?
Burundian coffee is a drink from Burundi: washed arabica from hillside smallholdings, floral and clean. Belgian administrators made coffee planting compulsory from 1930; it is now Burundi’s biggest export, grown by hundreds of thousands of smallholders.
How long does Burundian coffee take to make?
Burundian coffee takes 5 min of preparation and 4 min brewing of cooking. The recipe makes 2 cups. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Burundian coffee?
Yes, within limits. No pour-over cone: use a French press with the same ratio, a coarser grind, a 4 minute steep and a slow plunge. If you can only find dark-roasted beans, brew slightly cooler and coarser — the roast will have buried the floral character anyway.
What is the most important thing to get right in Burundian coffee?
Pour the remaining water in three even additions, keeping the bed level, finishing all pouring by 2 minutes 30. The whole drawdown should complete by 3 minutes 30 to 4 minutes.
