April Single Origin Coffee Roundup

Spotlight on East Africa

Farmers at Kinyovu Station in Kayanza Province, Burundi

“These are the coffees I can drink every day and never crave anything else.”

—Carly Getz, green coffee specialist

As winter retreats, we’re celebrating the arrival of three single origins from Burundi and Rwanda that brighten our days. With fruity intensity and silky mouthfeel, these are single origin coffees whose tropical flavors make us swoon. Two of them—Rwanda Rulindo Bushoki and Burundi Kayanza Women of Kinyovu Station—are fan favorites by now, as their appearance on our menu each year is met with anticipation by both Blue Bottle regulars and staff alike. The third, Burundi Ngozi Bavyeyi, which comes by way of JNP, one of our export partners in Burundi, is among the best we’ve cupped all year. 

Behind the single origins’ magic is the Bourbon cultivar—the coffee plant most farmers in both countries grow, known for producing sweetness in the cup. Ample water is also at play: All three producers wet process their coffee cherry, but veer from the usual method. After removing the fruit from the coffee cherry using a combination of pulper machines and a soaking period in water, the scrubbed seeds are also given an additional post-ferment soak. The extra time in the water acts like a fixing agent for the flavors, making for crystal-clear flavors in the cup.  

Not that taste is all that matters: All of these producers use coffee as a force for good.  

Rwanda Rulindo Bushoki

This subtly tropical coffee comes from a washing station that works with thousands of farmers to improve the quality of their crop so they receive better prices. 

Burundi Kayanza Women of Kinyovu Station 

The women who grow this sweet, bright, and floral coffee belong to an organization that gives training to entrepreneurial women farmers.

Burundi Ngozi Bavyeyi

We were tipped off to this citrusy and floral coffee from a women-owned co-op by JNP, an exporter that helps women get ownership rights and the tools to be self-sufficient. 

Brew recommendations

Like all of our single origins, we recommend using a smaller dose than you would for our heartier blends, somewhere between 22 and 24 grams of coffee to 350 grams of water for a pour over. (See our instructions for how to make pour over coffee.) While that’s our go-to technique, don’t shy away from other brew methods. An Aeropress of any of these would amplify juiciness and a cold brew would be silky and sweet.