Kenya, Gititu AA - Espresso

Origin

• 🇰🇪 Kenya· Kiambu

Tasting notes

Character

• Clean
  50
• Bright
  40

Flavour Notes: Rhubarb, Grapefruit, Lemonade Origin: Kiambu, Kenya Producer: Gititu Factory Processing: 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. Farm: 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 in the Gititu Factory 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.: Gititu Factory VarietyVariety (cultivar)The botanical subtype of the coffee plant — Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — analogous to grape varieties in wine. A major driver of cup character alongside origin and process.: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28SL28A Kenyan variety selected in the 1930s by Scott Agricultural Laboratories, prized for intense blackcurrant acidity and deep sweetness., SL34SL34SL28's sibling selection, also from Kenya's Scott Labs. Slightly less celebrated but hardier, with a similar juicy, complex cup. Altitude: 1600-1700 m.a.s.l. Roast Profile: Espresso RoastEspresso / omni roastAn 'espresso roast' is developed further for extraction under pressure; an 'omni roast' is profiled to work for both espresso and filter from one bag. Degree: Light Gititu AA, Kiambu, Kenya This AA lot from Gititu Factory is a brilliant expression of classic Kenyan coffee: bright, refined and wonderfully structured. We taste rhubarb, pink grapefruit and a sparkling lemonade quality, anchored by a gentle black tea aroma and soft berry sweetness. It’s the sort of cup that feels precise and joyful, with a long, clean finish. Gititu is one of Kiambu’s oldest cooperatives, established in 1954 and now bringing together thousands of smallholder farmers across eight factories. The name comes from the Kikuyu word for ‘big forest’, a nod to the region’s history. Farms here sit around 1,600–1,700 metres on the slopes of the Aberdare Range, where cooler nights slow cherry development and build the complex sugars and acids that define great Kenyan coffee. Varieties include SL28 and SL34 alongside Ruiru 11 and Batian — a mix that delivers both classic character and lively fruit. Many growers favour organic fertilisation with cow manure, reflecting Kiambu’s strong dairy tradition and a thoughtful approach to soil health. Processing at Gititu is meticulous. Ripe cherry is handpicked, density-sorted and pulped, then fermented for 12–24 hours depending on temperature. After washing and grading, parchment dries slowly on raised beds and under solar dryers, carefully covered during the hottest hours and overnight. It’s a method designed for clarity and consistency — and it shows in the cup. At Fjord, we chose this lot for its impeccable balance: citrus-led and juicyAcidityThe bright, lively, fruit-like sensation in coffee — praise, not a flaw. Citric sparkle, malic apple-crispness, tartaric wine notes; light roasts preserve more of it. without becoming sharp, with that comforting tea-like structure we love in top Kiambu coffees. Roasted light for espresso to honour the work at origin, it pulls a clean, citrus-bright shot