Archival Release #58 - Gitwe 2022

It’s no secret that we at Passenger have a bit of an obsession with coffees from Burundi. Since the arrival of fresh-harvest lots in February and the re-release of our Heza Foundational offering, we’ve delighted in the renewed opportunity to be tasting this unique profile at our cupping table each week.

To further celebrate these coffees, we decided this month to release one of our favorite selections from Burundi in recent memory: a washed Reserve Lot from the 2022 harvest at Gitwe Hill in Kayanza, Burundi.

The depth of sweetness, the concentration of integrated acidity, and the complexity and clarity of flavors in this coffee exemplify everything we love about our favorite coffees from this region. In the cup, we taste cooked raspberry and dried apricot, as well as candied ginger, black tea, and rose-like florals.

Archival Release #58 - Gitwe 2022 represents a specific snapshot of production from the Gitwe Hill in the Kayanza region of Burundi. Roasted by Passenger Coffee, this lot showcases the profile of a washed coffee, a technique that typically emphasizes the inherent clarity and acidity of the bean compared to other processing methods. The cup profile features a complex interplay of cooked raspberry, dried apricot, and candied ginger, balanced by delicate black tea and rose-like floral notes.

When evaluating such nuanced profiles, it is helpful to reference a flavor wheel to categorize these distinct fruit and botanical characteristics. While washed coffees are often celebrated for their clean, bright profiles, the specific terroir of Kayanza frequently contributes to the depth and elegance found in these high-quality releases. This particular selection highlights the meticulous work of the producers at Gitwe Hill during the 2022 harvest.