Burundi Masha Gatara Filter

About this coffee

Masha coffee washing station shares its name with the sub-hill upon which it stands and is actually more famous for its cattle than its coffee (the sub-hill that is). The name Masha is derived from the Kirundi word 2amasho2 meaning herds of cattle. The sub-hill has been a crossroad for many herds in the region and many of the local herders even have a unique greeting for each other, used only in these parts which are appropriate considering that 70% of them own cows. They will say gira amasho towards one another meaning owner of cows and the abundance of cattle was even a reason for many Kings fighting over the territory in order to claim ownership over the vast herds of livestock. Apart from cows and coffee, the hill on which the station is found, Gihororo, is named after the imihororo trees from which the locals weave traditional clothing making this region truly abundant in precious resources to its people. The station did experience its fair share of difficulties, especially when the country was in a period of turmoil. In 1997, the storage facility and main house at the station were burnt down by rebels during the political conflict in Burundi. Coffee was introduced to Burundi by Catholic Monks from the small island of Reunion in the 1930s. Most popular variety is Bourbon, however other varieties are grown including Blue Mountain. The crop is exclusively grown by smallholders, which are grouped into farmer associations called Sogestals. Due to the age of the trees and the variance in rainfall, there is a huge amount of fluctuation in coffee production. On average the crop is around 20,000MT. All of the the trees are Arabica, with around 70% processed as fully washed. There was an attempt to introduce Robusta in Burundi by establishing a large plantation, however this was destroyed during the times of civil was and rebellion towards the end of the 20th century. *all coffee delivered as whole bean unless specified* *please comment with grind type if you would like your coffee ground*