Kenya- Kiamabara AA

This is a classic washed/sun dried green coffee from the Nyeri region of Central Kenya. Nyeri County is perfectly situated between the Aberdare Range's eastern base and Mt. Kenya's western slopes. The county has mild weather and excellent land due to its high elevation. These traits, when combined with seasonal rainfall, create an ideal coffee-growing climate. This regions coffee is recognized for its strong acidity, ripe fruit flavors, and fuller body.

The ripe coffee cherries are graded and washed in full using conventional procedures at the Kiamabara Coffee Factory. During the harvest, the small-holder farmers’ cherries are carefully hand-picked and transferred to pre-sorting mats or tables, where any unripe or damaged cherries are removed. The coffee is then weighed and processed using the washed processing method. The coffee is first put in a tank full of water, and any immature cherries are removed (they are lighter and hence float and are easy to remove). The coffee is then pulped using water and a disc pulper with three sets of discs to remove the skin and fruit from the inner parchment layer that protects the green coffee bean. Water from the Kingu river is used in the processing, and and afterwards cleaned in soaking pits to remove any harmful matter and then re-used to conserve resources.

After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight to break down the sugars, before it is cleaned, sorted once more via water channels (the heavier, sinking coffee is considered the higher quality, sweeter coffee) and soaked for a further 24 hours. This process increases the proteins and amino acids, which in turn heightens the complexity of the acidity and clarity in the cup. After soaking, the coffee is spread out on the raised drying tables. Time on the drying tables depends on climate, ambient temperature and volumes under processing, and can take 1 -2 weeks to dry.

Flavor profile: Green apple, grapefruit, black tea

Varieties: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1600-1800 masl

Supplier/Importer: Falcon