Kenya | Kirinyaga, Washed

Country: Kenya

Kirinyaga, Ngariama

New Ngariama farmers cooperative society

Grown at the foothill of Mount Kenya, this smallholder lot perfectly reflects every reason why Kenya can be compared to a “Champagne region” of the coffee world. This cup is a throwback to childhood memories of grandma's goodies made from fully ripe dark berries. 

Extended story

This Kenyan coffee lot stood out on the cupping table with a sweetness of fully ripe berries and rich, full-bodied mouthfeel. From the first sip, it reminded us of childhood memories – times, when we enjoyed berries from grandmother's garden, staining our hands with their goodness.

Varieties

This Kenyan blend consists of three of the most popular varieties in this origin - SL28, Ruiru 11 & Batian.

The SL28 variety is known as one of the most successful varieties made by Scot Laboratories based on the cup profile. Their goal was to develop and sustain much stronger coffee varieties that can resist drought and coffee tree diseases. SL28 is popular for its resistance to drought and bright and juicy taste profile. That’s why it’s cultivated not only in Kenya but as an experiment, it is also grown  in origins like El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua and more.

Another variety in this blend is Ruiru 11, released in the 1980s. This variety owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that led to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production. In the 1970s, the Coffee Research Station at Ruiru region began an intensive breeding program for varieties immune to CBD. Ruiru 11 is known for its chocolaty and dried berry taste profile.

The third variety in this blend is Batian, created by the same Coffee Research Station that made Ruiru 11. It was made to develop the cup profile of Ruiru 11, making it bright and juicy as SL variety but also keeping the resistance to diseases as Ruiru 11. Results were successful and the variety was delivered to farmers in 2010, making it the youngest coffee variety grown in Kenya.

Processing

The coffee cherries are hand-sorted by farmers. Unripe and overripe cherries are separated before they go into production. The pulp is removed and the coffee is fermented for 24-36 hours under close shade, depending on climate temperatures. After fermentation, the coffee beans are washed and again graded by density in washing channels. Then they are taken to the drying tables, where they will be sun-dried on African drying beds for 12 to 20 days (depending on weather conditions). During the midday, coffee is covered by a plastic blanket and also at night to protect the beans from night moisture, bugs and rain.