Kenya - Gichatha-ini AA - SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 - Washed

This is a very fine example of excellent Kenyan coffee, we find it very light and crisp and juicy, with a very sweet and jammy profile.

This coffee comes from Gichatha-ini Factory, part of the Gikanda Farmers Cooperative Society. Gichatha-ini is one of three factories under the cooperative, from which we've been sourcing since 2012. The factory is owned by the coffee farmers who supply cherries to it. Currently, there are 897 members, with around 770 actively selling their coffees through the factory.

In Central Kenya's Nyeri region, the Gikanda Cooperative operates three factories (wet mills) and counts approximately 3000 active farmer members. These factories include Gichatha-ini, Kangocho, and Ndaroini Gi-ka-nda-Gikanda.

Farmers sort their cherries by ripeness before they go into production. They are then placed directly in the hopper that is connected to the pulping machine. The coffee flows from the hopper down to the pulper, and the pulper removes the skin and pulp (usually an Agaarde disc pulping machine). The machine is designed to conduct grading of high and low quality (1st and 2nd). Grade 1 and 2 are fermented separately, while Grade 3 is considered to be of lower quality.

The coffee is dry fermented for 18-36 hours in concrete tanks under a roof that provides shade for better temperature control during fermentation. After fermentation the coffees are washed and again graded by density in washing channels. They are sometimes soaked in clean water overnight.

The coffee is sun-dried 12 to 20 days on African drying beds. Time depends on weather conditions. Coffees are covered under plastic during midday and at night.

This is the 6th Washed Kenyan lot we have purchased, and have done so with the help of our partners at Nordic Approach, where they work closely with in-country partners and we trust they work as sustainably as possible in the area, to grow together with the farmers and washing stations on the ground.