Burundi Turashobora

Roasting in May: Burundi Turashobora

An exceptional coffee with a powerful story is shipping to subscribers of our Small Batch coffee-of-the-month club this May: Burundi Turashobora. We first offered this microlot from an east African women’s growing collective in 2021, and we’re thrilled to have it back again.

EQUALITY BEGETS QUALITY

High altitude, abundant rainfall, and volcanic soils create ideal conditions for growing coffee in Burundi. Yet small production and an inconsistent supply chain wasn’t doing the coffee justice in this, one of the poorest countries on the planet. But Burundi native Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian sought to change that and it started—as many things do—with observation and education.

Working with these farmers, knowing how savvy and how capable they are, I knew that most of them just have not had that little chance. And that chance comes in the form of education.
– Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian 

Historically, Burundi women were growing and harvesting the coffee cherries, but it was the male heads of households who would deliver the cherries to the wet mill—and therefore get paid. In encouraging the women to observe by following the production path of their own coffees, these women learned not only better agronomy practices, like nuances of picking at peak ripeness, but also to advocate for getting their own coffee segregated from all the other coffee at the mill. This traceability means ownership of their own coffee lots, and the resultant quality improvement qualifies them for post-harvest premiums. As a result of this transformational change, Jeanine’s company, JNP Coffee, has paid over $250,000 in premiums directly to these farmers.

Improving their coffee’s quality goes hand in hand with improving the equality of the livelihoods of the women farmers who grow it, spreading the profits to all who farm, grow, and harvest.

This value chain became so impactful that, in partnership with International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Burundi Chapter and PCI Global, JNP Coffee created a financial literacy program. As a result, within two years these farmers developed a savings program; the money they save is invested in members of their own community, who use those funds to grow their own businesses and return the initial investment, with interest.

The seed money pile grew so big that within two years these women—who had long wanted a processing site of their own for quality assurance—were able to establish their own wet mill—the mill that produced this beautiful coffee. They've since also added a training center, and Peet's is happy to be a gold sponsor of both. This group of farmers call themselves as Turihamwe Turashobora in Kirundi, which translates to “Together We Can!’’ They became entrepreneurs. They became responsible for their own destiny. They get to reap the benefit of everything they’ve learned, observed, and invested. And their observation of the value chain of their coffee comes full circle: education, investment, opportunity, quality, equality.

TURASHOBORA. WE CAN. AND THEY DID.

It’s an investment you can taste: the aromatics display why Burundi Turashobora has been called ‘a crossroads of Kenyan and Ethiopian coffees’; the telltale perfume-y, flowery fragrance of the best of east African coffees. Bright lemon zest, juicy plum, and the sweet warmth of malt that elevates each pristine cup. (And if you liked 2025's Anniversary Blend, you'll love this single origin coffee—these same beans are one of that blend's components.)

_{FRESH FROM THE ROASTERY} 

“The room smelled like fresh sweet bread ... I would like to roast it again.”

Out of the bag, the beans were small with mixed hues of dark and light greens with a smattering of very pale ones. There were no visible defects—a good sign, and a marker of its quality. The smell was sweet and spicy with a little fruit in the background that I didn't remember from the last time I roasted Burundi.

Burundi Turashobora was easy to roast but very sensitive to heat. I had to be careful how high my burner was set in the beginning, or I'd wind up with a color much darker than anticipated. As the beans roasted, the sound of their popping was average in volume but snappy. It built up to a nice rapid peak. The last time I took notes on this coffee I thought it sounded louder, but my impression this time was that it was easy to hear, but not as loud as some other recent selections for our Small Batch Series.

At completion, room smelled like fresh sweet bread, while still retaining the fruity, juicy notes this region is known for. It was interesting that there were some noticeable differences between the Burundi this year and the last time I roasted it. Mostly the sound at first crack. But it was a fun one to roast, really showcasing how the art of hand roasting brings out the best in a bean. We look forward to the opportunity to roast it again.

After roasting comes the cupping, and this was a fun, to-the-point tasting. We evaluated four Burundi profiles in a blind, randomized cupping with six tasters. This round, alignment came quickly—nearly everyone landed on the same pick. The profile, the one you'll bring home, really highlighted what we love about Burundi coffees: a juicy mouthfeel, bright acidity, and a vibrant floral and herbaceous aroma. Flavor notes included honey, black tea, tart cranberry, and dark chocolate, amongst others—a testament to its complexity. We also found that it cooled nicely, so after cupping, we also tried it as a flash brew. It was very tasty—so tasty that we highly recommend trying that brewing method at home.

– John Nicolini and Michael Madden, Roasters; Jamie Smith, R&D

 

LIMITED RELEASE PEET’S COFFEES

You might think that a monthly coffee subscription sounds amazing in and of itself, but Peet’s Small Batch coffee-of-the-month takes it a step further. These are microlot coffees, which is why you can only find them at peets.com and you can only access them if you have a subscription. They’re special—their rarity means they can sell out—fast. Subscribing ensures you get to taste each one of these remarkable lots. And if you’re a tried-and-true fan and subscribe to of one of our other coffees or subscription series, not to worry: you can do an add-on of this limited release to your next shipment. At least, while it lasts.