Burundi has landed at Maker in 2026

The mission at Maker in 2025 was simple, to source high quality coffees which were elegant, expertly processed and expressive of the country in which they were grown. Taking a leaf out of this manual, we have the latest release of 2026, a beautiful microlot from the Masha washing station in the Kayanza province of Burundi. 

Masha Washing Station sits in the commune of Gatara in northern Burundi’s Kayanza Province at roughly 1,672 masl. It serves a large community of more than 2,500 smallholder farmers, many of whom cultivate only a few hundred trees on plots averaging around 0.11 hectares.

The station’s name comes from the Kirundi word amasho (“herds of cattle”), reflecting the area’s pastoral history and a micro-ecosystem shaped by long-term human and environmental interaction. 

The combination of high elevation, biodiversity, and dispersed smallholder production supports slower cherry maturation, denser seeds, and the potential for traceable community lots rather than estate-scale production.

Established in 1989, the washing station brings decades of operational experience and consistent post harvest practices. The washed coffees are typically depulped the same day they're harvested and delivered, and fermented underwater for 12–24 hours before being washed for about two hours. Then the coffees are spread on drying tables or raised beds, where they dry for about 20 days, depending on the weather. 

This beautiful washed coffee from the Masha Washing station has notes of ripe plum and blackberry with sweetness of brown sugar to round off a delicious and balanced cup. 

Coffees from Yirgacheffe have a special place in Specialty Coffee lore, and we love to celebrate them in our Roastery at Maker. The region of Yirgacheffe is plentiful and ripe for coffee production. The thick vegetation is a product of the warm tropical climate with moderate wet and dry seasons. Most coffee is shade-grown by small producers using organic practices. Coffees are cultivated from 1600 to 2400 masl in these highlands. The multitude of microregions creates complex profiles depending on the washing station a particular coffee is from.

This natural process coffee comes from the Chelchele washing station, which is in the kebele, or village, of Chelchele, in the words, or district, of Kochere, in the Yirgacheffe region. Chelchele coffees tend to have a nice backbone of sweetness from toffee and/or soft nuts like almond, with a floral and citrus overtone. 

Natural coffees are typically delivered the day they are harvested, and are first sorted for ripeness and quality before being rinsed clean of dirt. Then they are spread on raised drying beds or tables, where they will be rotated constantly throughout the course of drying. Drying can take an average of 8–25 days, depending on the weather. 

This coffee is beautifully layered with tasting notes of strawberry, peach and white chocolate, highlighting the mastery of coffee producers and workers at the Chelchele washing station.

You can buy this delicious coffee from the Chelchele Washing Station at the Maker Website or visit any one of the Maker Cafes to pick up a freshly roasted 250g bag. 

Coffees from Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia are always welcomed with excitement at Maker, and we are so excited to bring this washed coffee from the Chelchele washing station to our customers. 

Located in the Kochere district, the Chelchele washing station caters to nearly 500 local smallholder coffee producers. Once delivered, the cherries are sorted, weighed and then processed as either washed or natural process lots. 

This particular lot was processed using the “Special Preparation” method- what the producers generally refer to as “Premium” in Ethiopia. The cherries come from a very limited number of smallholder producers, 90% of these cherries are perfectly picked, 5% are semi ripe and 5% are over ripe. 

The coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same day. There is usually a fermentation period of 8–12 hours in open-air tanks, then washed in water channels to remove the mucilage. The coffee seeds will be spread on raised beds to dry for 5–15 days. 

This coffee has a classic washed Yirgacheffe profile, with notes of Bergamot, Jasmine and Black Tea. The new Chelchele washed process coffee is now available on the Maker website and in all venues.

We are so pleased to present to you, the Seasonal Filter Natural, a natural process heirloom variety from Sidama, Ethiopia. This delicious coffee is brought to you by the fantastic producers and team of the Mofa washing station.

Known for its early harvest season, the station is supported by 740 dedicated coffee suppliers and farmers. With its lower elevation, rich tradition, and strong farming network, Mofa plays a key role in the region’s coffee production.

We sourced this coffee with the help of our import partners at Cafe Imports, cupping through multiple rounds of samples to find the right coffee for our Seasonal Filter natural. Our goal at Maker Coffee is to source and buy excellent coffees, and promote the hard work done at origin by the coffee producers. It is our privilege to bring to you the latest filter release of 2026 at Maker Coffee, sourced with care from the producers of the villages near Mofa Washing Station. 

Our new Seasonal Filter Natural can be purchased on the Maker website, or in person in any Maker venue. 

The latest release of our Select Series is a beautiful expression of the Gesha variety from Finca Rio Dorado, located in Mataquescuintla in the Oriente coffee-growing region of Guatemala. Coffee has been grown in Oriente since the 1950s. Once the poorest region in the country, Oriente has grown into a large coffee producing region for Guatemala. The mountain range, once volcanic, is overcast and rainy with temperate weather and balanced soil.

Located at a height of 1800 meters above sea level, Finca Rio Dorado is a 20 hectare farm. Since its founding in 2004, coffee producer Firmin Aguilar Escalante has strived to produce excellent coffees with high traceability and quality control, resulting in several Cup of Excellence and regional competition winning lots. The name ‘Rio Dorado’ translates to Golden River, which reflects the nutrient rich soil and hydrological features typical of high-end Guatemalan estates.

 
Finca Rio Dorado cultivates various coffee varieties such as Gesha, Pacamara, Catuai, Pache, and Bourbon. The high altitude, stable Oriente-region soil and shaded microclimate under oak, cypress and pine trees support slower cherry maturation and allow for selective harvesting of the coffees grown at the farm.

A wide array of processing methods are used at the farm, ranging from conventional washed, honey, and natural, to more experimental approaches such as anaerobic fermentation and carbonic maceration. Coffees are dried on raised beds, and lot separation by varietal and processing method allows for better quality control. These practices enable Finca Rio Dorado to run a micro-estate model with emphasis on traceability, enabling them to produce highly controlled specialty lots.

This Gesha lot in particular is a washed process coffee, which has been fermented using the anaerobic fermentation method. We found that the anaerobic fermentation gave this lot an extremely fruit forward profile, reminiscent of fresh strawberries and apricots with a heavy, creamy mouthfeel and the sweetness of sugary praline. 

We’re thrilled and proud to be offering this delicious coffee in our limited edition Select Series. Packed in 100g tins, this special release can be purchased now on the Maker website. 

The Ninco family are widely known in the town of Santa Maria for their commitment to land care and specialty coffee production. “I receive better income by producing specialty coffee and this has helped me and my family have a better life and become better coffee producers” says Faver. 

Realising from an early age that coffee production was going to be a long term pursuit for Faver, in the year 2000 the Ninco family acquired their first piece of land. Fast forward to 2025 and they are successfully managing Caturra, Bourbon, Geisha, Colombia and Pink Bourbon varieties. Their farm “Costa Rica” is recognised best for their Geisha and Pink Bourbon plants, receiving wide acclaim as some of the highest quality lots in the Santa Maria region of Huila. 

Faver’s coffee processing techniques begin with a very selective hand picking of only the ripest cherries. The goal here is to avoid including any underripe green cherries which can affect the quality. Finca Costa Rica has its own wet mill and this is where the washed ripe cherries are left to ferment for 24 to 30 hours in plastic containers before being pulped. 

Fermentation is monitored closely for 60 to 80 hours in closed plastic containers. At the end of the fermentation stage the coffee is washed only once, leaving some of the mucilage attached to the outer layer of the beans. The coffee is then taken to the drying area where it will gently reduce in moisture content for around 10 to 15 days, depending on seasonal conditions and the weather forecast. Faver stores the coffee inside GrainPro bags within jute bags in a space at the farm over pallets for it to stabilize for another 10 to 15 days before being prepared for export. This carefully considered approach to sorting, fermentation, drying and storage all play a significant role in increasing the overall cup quality for each lot produced under Faver’s management. The land care and attention to detail in all stages of production go hand in hand for the Ninco’s and we think the results speak for themselves. 

Faver’s Pink Bourbon was harvested in August 2025 and we partnered with Caravela to export this lot to us only a few months later in December. This beautiful coffee has consistently shown a velvety campari-like mouthfeel with lovely tones of ruby grapefruit and ripe cherry character. This is a coffee with hallmarks of great attention to detail at the farm level and we think the Ninco family has produced one of the highlight coffees of the year for us at Maker.

You can BUY Faver's gorgeous coffee now at the Maker Website or visit any one of the Maker Cafes to pick up a freshly roasted 250g bag.