Burundi Bebop - Swiss Water Process DECAF

100% Arabica, Fair-Trade, Organic, Swiss-Water Process Decaf

Medium Roast

Listen to the "Burundi Bebop" Spotify Playlist

Notes: Brown Sugar, Black Tea, Pomegranate
Region: Muyinga, Burundi
Altitude: 1,500 - 1,800 masl
Process: Fully washed and dried on raised beds; Swiss Water Decaf Process

Origin Story

In 2012, Angèle Ciza decided to go into the coffee business with a friend. Together they purchased a number of washing stations, hoping to work in closer partnership with growers as a means to begin processing some of the best coffees in the country. Today it’s clear that Ciza (now the sole proprietor) has succeeded in her goal, and her company, Kalico (short for Kahawa Link Company), is synonymous with specialty coffee in Burundi.

With a heavy emphasis on education and outreach on topics such as plant nurseries to picking, the quality of the coffees produced with Kalico’s partnership has improved—along with the prices paid to farmers. Ciza has continued to invest in training, environmental protection, micro-finance, and other social infrastructures such as a scholarship program to pay for school fees for young girls.

This coffee is a partnership between Kalico, Phyllis Johnson of BD Imports, and RGC importers, and was organized to combat poverty and support women-produced coffee in Burundi. It not only represents the quality Burundi has to offer, but also illustrates the leadership and perseverance of Ciza, whose work has uplifted thousands of farmers and continues to be a source of inspiration, especially for women—who own or manage almost 80% of Burundi’s farms. This lot comes from the Butihinda Washing Station, which uses water sourced from Rushombo Mountain and manages processing for approximately 1400 smallholder producers.

Decaffeination Process

The Swiss Water Process is a completely chemical-free method of decaffeination using only water to remove 99.99% of the caffeine, leaving only the delicious natural flavors of the coffee.

The Music

Working as a bandleader, often with Charlie Parker on saxophone, Dizzy Gillespie developed the musical genre known as “bebop” — a reaction to swing, distinct for dissonant harmonies and polyrhythms. “The music of Charlie Parker and me laid a foundation for all the music that is being played now,” Gillespie said years later. “Our music is going to be the classical music of the future.” While Gillespie himself was a skilled arranger (successful at creating scores for the rich “wall of sound” that trumpets, trombones and saxophones offer), bebop somehow manages to make do with less. It conveys all the complexity and passion of jazz in an intimate space.