Burundi Gakenke

The Gakenke washing station is located in Burundi’s Kayanza Province and operates exactly as one would imagine East African coffee at its best: without large plantations, but with a vast number of small farms. There are 1,780 registered growers here, spread across twenty-two surrounding hills. Most families cultivate about 250 coffee trees, primarily the Red Bourbon variety, and harvest the cherries by hand at optimal ripeness. The elevation ranges from 1,500 to 1,800 meters, a zone where ripening occurs slowly and the beans have time to accumulate sufficient sugars. At the station, everything proceeds quickly and methodically.

The cherries are washed, sorted by hand, and hulled within six hours of delivery. Then comes the crucial part—the parchment is slowly dried on African beds for two to three weeks, with constant sorting. Each lot is kept separate by station, harvest date, and quality, ensuring 100% traceability. The result is a honey-processed coffee with a distinctly dark, sweet profile: dates, amaretto, and dark chocolate. Dalston Coffee, a roastery in Barcelona, recommends this lot for espresso and Italian moka.