Burundi Ubuntu Decaf

Sweet Like Almond Joy and Orange Candy Finishing with Dark Chocolate

Harvests in Burundi were very low. Our friends at the Long Miles Coffee Project were desperate for a turnaround. We did all we could to support the building of a new washing station, but the low yields concerned us.

Then, at the scariest moment, the biggest harvest ever filled the washing stations with coffee. Our friends at the new Ninga Station led all the Long Miles Washing Stations in production. There was so much coffee that they wondered whether they could even sell it all!

This experience reminds me of a story. Some fishermen couldn’t catch anything. Jesus implores them to have faith and cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Sure enough their nets were so full they almost broke! They needed friends just to haul in their yield.

I’ve been lucky to have many meaningful moments with the Long Miles team over the years. These include orientations for new “coffee scouts,” who assist farmers in the field. In these orientations they learn the Long Miles values.

One value is ubuntu which means “togetherness”. Another value is terroir, which means the “transparent and restorative taste of place.”

This great bounty of a harvest was more than Saint Frank could roast alone. We committed to ubuntu with our friends and a faithful expression of their terroir.

This decaf gives us ubuntu and terroir. An unprecedented partnership with Long Miles gives us togetherness. A transparent decaf process gives us a restorative taste of place.

Producers Contributing farmers on Gikungere Hill and Bumba Hill from a combined 770 families. Processed by the Long Miles Coffee Project.

Places

Kayanza Province Burundi, East Africa 

Varieties  Bourbon

Terroir 

Clay and loamy soil on hilly terrain at Gikungere. Volcanic dark red clay and silty soil on hilly terrain at Bumba, both at 1700 meters above sea level.

Process

A combination of Fully Washed and Anaerobic Honey fermentation finished with the Swiss Water Decaffeination Process.

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This Burundi Ubuntu Decaf from Saint Frank Coffee combines two complementary processing techniques—fully washed and anaerobic honey fermentation—before Swiss Water decaffeination, a method chosen to preserve the coffee's flavor complexity. The Bourbon varietal thrives in Burundi's volcanic terroir, and the dual fermentation approach here builds layered sweetness alongside the varietal's natural chocolate and citrus character. Saint Frank's tasting profile—almond, orange candy, dark chocolate—reflects both the fermentation's fruited depth and the Bourbon's inherent richness, delivering decaffeinated coffee with notable structure and dimension rather than the flatness often associated with the category.