Mamuto Peaberry, Kenya

Origin

• 🇰🇪 Kenya· Kirinyaga

Tasting notes

Character

• Bold
  50

George Howell Coffee has been buying Mamuto since 2006. It has never faltered. The late Walter Mathagu always produced coffees that were perfectly ripe and sweet. Even as weather patterns challenged, they never overcame him. Year after year, the crop is exquisite, proving again and again to be the Grand Cru of coffee. Walter's legacy continues through his family - his sons, Peter, Jason, and Patrick Mathagu now run this great farm. Walter was the small farmer pioneer of quality coffee in Kenya and a consummate craftsman until his passing in 2021. He was an agricultural officer serving the government of Kenya for seventeen years before retiring in 1987. More than anyone, Walter put the Kirinyaga coffee region on the map. He raised small farmer awareness to what is possible and brought seekers of great specialty coffee in growing numbers to his area. Taking inspiration from their family, Mamuto means “father, mother, and children.” Walter and Abishag have six children: three boys and three girls. They named the farm by combining the first two letters of Mathagu (family name), Muthoni (his wife’s maiden name), and Toto (child in Swahili). We continue to buy Mamuto’s entire crop. It grows beneath the slopes of the 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya. The soil is deep red-orange, set amongst a lush green and very gently undulating landscape. The coffee is processed at the farm right through drying. After drying, it remains in parchment for approximately six weeks, restingRoast date / restingSpecialty bags carry the roast date, not a best-before. Coffee needs days to degas CO₂ after roasting ('resting') and is typically best within weeks, not months. in aerated bins before being transported for final milling and packaging. Kenya developed the most stringent processing and milling standards in the world. Mamuto is machine sorted, then hand sorted to remove any remaining blemishes. Beans are sorted into very narrow ranges of size in order to maintain even roasting. The top grade, AA, is comprised of the two largest sizes, followed by grade AB, the next two sizes. PeaberryPeaberryA cherry that grows one round seed instead of the usual two flat-sided ones. Sorted and sold separately; some claim it cups brighter and more concentrated. is a mutation of the seeds which results in a single round bean instead of two elongated beans