Kenya AA Gakuyu-ini – microlot

Origin

• 🇰🇪 Kenya· Kirinyaga

Tasting notes

Character

• Clean
  50
• Bright
  40

Back in 2018, Kenya Gakuyu-ini was the coffee we used for our Filter of the Year entry at the Helsinki Coffee Festival, where it earned us an honorable second place . Since then, we’ve received several samples, but none quite lived up to the memory—until now. What makes this coffee so special is its intriguing and unmistakable character. While most Kenyan coffees are known for their red berry, wineyFunky / lacticTasting language for deliberate fermentation flavor: yogurt-like tang (lactic), winey or boozy notes, overripe fruit. A feature in experimental lots, a defect in classic ones., or even tomato-like tones, the beans from Gakuyu-ini Washing StationWashing stationA central mill where many smallholder farmers deliver cherry for processing. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda the station name (e.g. Idido) often identifies the coffee. stand out for their elegance and brightness. Gakuyu-ini is the only washing station that belongs to the Thirikwa Cooperative in Kirinyaga County, on the southern slopes of MtKenya’s highlands. Fertile red volcanic soils and abundant rainfall create ideal conditions for producing coffee with a rich,complex flavor. The cooperative is made up of smallholderSmallholderA farmer growing coffee on a small family plot — often under two hectares. Most of the world's coffee is grown this way, typically pooled at cooperatives or washing stations. farmers with an average plot size of about 0.25 hectares, where theypractice mixed farming—growing food crops for household consumption alongside coffee as a cash crop. Today, the cooperative unites around 1,600 smallholder farmers. In this region, the main varieties grown are SL28SL28A Kenyan variety selected in the 1930s by Scott Agricultural Laboratories, prized for intense blackcurrant acidity and deep sweetness., Ruiru 11, and Batian. All coffee is processed using the washedWashed processThe fruit is removed from the seed before drying, usually with fermentation and a water rinse. Tends to give clean, transparent cups where origin character shows clearly. method. Farmers handpick only ripe cherries and deliver them to the station the same day. There,the cherries are hand-sorted to remove underripe and overripe fruit under the supervision of the station manager. After depulping, the coffee undergoes fermentation and is washed with clean water from the Kiri River, then dried on raised African beds. The station is overseen by a board of five members, directly elected by the farmers. Origin: Kirinyaga, Kenya, 1640 masl Bean: SL28, SL34SL34SL28's sibling selection, also from Kenya's Scott Labs. Slightly less celebrated but hardier, with a similar juicy, complex cup. , Batian. Washed process. Roast: Light Weight: 250g