Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Natural
Producers: Farmers of Bumba Hill, with Long Miles Coffee Project
Notes: Strawberry Preserves, Cacao Nib, Hibiscus
About the coffee:
Long Miles Coffee was started by Ben and Kristy Carlson on a simple premise: pay farmers well, put washing stations where the farmers actually are, and keep the lots separated by hill so quality has a name attached to it. Their Coffee Scouts — agronomists who live in the communities they serve — work the farms year-round rather than showing up at harvest.
For years, farmers on Bumba Hill walked more than three hours to reach a station with honest scales. Long Miles opened Ninga Washing Station nearby, and Bumba's cherry finally had somewhere close to go. This lot is one of the results — among the first naturally processed coffees to come off that hill.
Burundian Red Bourbon at this elevation already carries a lot of sugar. Left in the cherry to dry, it turns into strawberry preserves — jammy, dense, unmistakable. Cacao nib sits underneath and gives the cup its spine. As it cools, hibiscus comes through and brings the acidity back. Big and sweet, but structured enough that it never gets sloppy.