This month we have a return from Burundi, sourced from Long Miles! We have been buying their coffees for two years now. This is always quite a unique East African offering with distinctive acidity, intense citrus character, and a black tea base. We also have a washed process Guatemala coffee called Alma, this is sourced from Onyx, a Guatemala based specialty coffee import company. This serves as a juxtaposition to the Burundi coffee, featuring a chocolaty and nutty profile with warm spice notes.

Long Miles started in 2013 when the Carlson family built their first washing station in Bukeye to receive coffee cherries for processing. Their mission was focused—to produce excellent coffee and improve the lives of smallholder farmers along the way. Since, Long Miles has done just that by producing high quality coffee, paying farmers quality premiums, and providing year-round training from their field scouts.

Coffee farmers in Burundi do not own much land, and a good portion of their land is dedicated to subsistence crops—bananas, cassava, and beans, and together with coffee, all these plants cover the hills with green. The sale of coffee cherries pays for children’s school fees, medical bills, and anything else that farmers cannot grow or make themselves.

In Burundi, society is split up into hills, similar to the boroughs that we have in Pennsylvania. The hills surrounding Long Miles’ three washing stations—Bukeye, Heza, and Ninga—all contribute to making up this blended community lot. This delicious light roast has an approachable yet fun flavor profile, there is a honeyed sweetness with citrus flavors, and the acidity is pronounced but balanced by the depth of caramelized tones it carries with it along with a black tea-like base.

Image of Coffee Plants in Guatemala — Guatemala

Alma is a Guatemala coffee sourced from the renowned Huehuetenango down to Jalapa. This lot—made up of washed process Caturra and Bourbon varieties—is sourced for their lightly fruited but predominant creamy and chocolaty base. The producers know what they are doing because we taste dark chocolate, walnut, and cinnamon! And this makes it a great option for a single-origin espresso or a more classic-style coffee, with less bitterness and more flavor.

Through our supplier in Guatemala, this special coffee also helps to support families by giving them access to products that improve their quality of life. For every pound of Alma sold, $0.05 goes directly to Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to support their smokeless stove program. Stoves like this help the indoor air quality remain top-notch while also increasing wood-fuel efficiency, all while decreasing cook times. From the 2021 crop of Alma, 42 families received new stoves!

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What's in the Box: Burundi Long Miles and Guatemala Alma