This fruity and sweet lot is our current go-to everyday brew! It comes from the Kamwangi washing station, which receives coffee cherries from some 1,000 smallholder member farmers. The local microclimate - especially the cool evening temperatures - results in the coffee maturing slowly, producing very dense beans with complex acidity and intense sweetness.
The Kamwangi washing station (or “factory”, as they are called in Kenya) was the second station established by the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society. The member producers each cultivate an average of approx. 250 trees at altitudes up to 1,800 M.A.S.L. Many of the producers in Kirinyaga county are second-generation producers, after agricultural reform in Kenya in the 1950s-60s allowed small-holder farmers to purchase land and grow cash crops on their own farms (not only on vast British-owned estates).
This lot is primarily made up of SL-34, a prevalent coffee cultivar in the area (along with SL-28, Ruiru and Batian). This cultivar is named after Scott Laboratories, the laboratory that promoted its wider distribution in Kenya during the early twentieth century. This lot also contains a small proportion of SL-28 and the hybrid varieties, Ruiru 11 and Batian, which were cultivated as more robust varieties with better disease resistance. Both varieties have been backcrossed with SL-28 and SL-34 to achieve a high cup quality.
Kenya uses a grading system for all its exportable coffee lots - based on the bean size and assumed quality (with quality often linked to size). The grade directly correlates with the price a coffee can attract. This lot is graded as an AB (which means that the beans are between screen size 15 and 18).
We reserved this coffee - our second ever Kenyan coffee - from the importer, Nordic Approach, before it landed in the UK in August 2024. We had purchased our first Kenyan coffee from the Kaimanui washing station which is also run by the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, so we were excited about another of their coffees. The co-op supports its farmer members by offering pre-harvest financing, allowing them to plan and invest in the upcoming crop, and to cover school fees.
We reserved this coffee - our second ever Kenyan coffee - from the importer, Nordic Approach, before it landed in the UK in August 2024. We had purchased our first Kenyan coffee from the Kaimanui washing station which is also run by the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, so we were excited about another of their coffees. The co-op supports its farmer members by offering pre-harvest financing, allowing them to plan and invest in the upcoming crop, and to cover school fees.
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