Gakenke, Burundi by Colonna

Gakenke by Colonna is a well-done modern espresso with a pleasantly sweet aroma of cocoa and berries and a taste combining juicy acidity and rich dark chocolate.

Aroma

The aroma of Gakenke brings dessert-like sweetness with notes of cocoa, strawberries and dark cherries.

Taste

On the palate, Gakenke starts with the fresh and zesty acidity of dark cherries which is succeeded by rich cocoa. The cocoa boldly presents its pleasant bitterness and the typical dry mouthfeel and later turns into creamy milk chocolate. Overall, this espresso is very well balanced and leaves lasting dark-chocolate finish.

Extraction

The extraction is the weakest point of these Colonna capsules. It is surprising, as these are the new aluminium capsules identical to La Independencia. Nevertheless, the extraction process is very long and the flow sometimes nearly stops. Occasionally, we had to stop the extraction and start it again after a few seconds – something which can be done only on the manual Nespresso machines. We do not understand the cause of these problems which we did not have with La Independencia, but one reason could be the different grinding which seems to be finer for the case of Gakenke. The resulting crema is usually good.

Our rating

Excellent (when capsules work well)

Packaging

As in the case of La Independencia, we have got Gakenke from Colonna in the new aluminium capsules, but before the introduction of the new packaging. The capsules have both, pleasing design and colour and will shine in a decorative holder. They can be recycled when emptied and collected with metal refuse or via the Nespresso recycling scheme. Colonna describes Gakenke as coffee with notes of plums, cranberries and cinnamon.

Notes

Gakenke by Colonna brings to our attention the great qualities which coffee from Burundi has to offer – its berry complexity and juicy acidity. The fully washed coffee we have here comes from the Gakenke washing station in Burundi’s high altitude Kayanza district.