Several months ago (before I decided to write this series), I joined a SEY coffee subscription with my house mate and a couple of colleagues. Each month, we’ve received an assortment of whatever interesting coffee SEY has on hand at the time. In May 2026, I happened to end up with a washed field blend from the Ninga region of Burundi — the April 28th harvest in Bumba Hill.
There is still a very fresh, almost savory aroma from the dry grounds, even nearly six weeks off roast date (May 15th).
I had 27g remaining in this bag, so I used all of it. Loosely following the Lance Hedrick catch-all pourover recipe, I started brewing a 1:18 ratio with an origami at 208 F.
I poured my bloom and went to start a pot of boiling water for noodles. When I returned my attention to the ongoing brew, a classic early morning multitask scenario happened: I reset my scale by mistake. Thankfully I remembered the weight of my bloom (a 1:3 ratio for this recipe, which has been my default for about 3 years). Doing some quick math, I ascertained that I still needed about 400g of water for this recipe.
I actually misplaced the label insert from this box (*possibly in my office - I will add an addendum if I find it), and the drawdown ultimately took about 8 minutes, so I’m not sure what to expect from this experience.
The brewed coffee in the carafe gives a rounded citrus olfactory note, a seemingly contradictory blend of acidity and roasty sweetness.
I let the cup cool to about 120 F before tasting.
There is a very pleasant black tea note I’ve often encountered with many African coffees; this is by far the dominant flavor note I perceive from this brew, but the whole story of this brew goes beyond flavor notes. It’s a very smooth cup that suggests acidity, but does not follow through with that polarizing bite. It’s a very subtle fruitiness that is gently juxtaposed with the black tea.
It actually reminds me of House Roots here in Los Angeles. This coffee disappeared from my shelf - if it was still available, I would gladly consider restocking it.
*It dawned on me that I could just use the web page as a makeshift replacement for the label insert. Black tea, plum, and poached pear - very similar to my own experience with this coffee.