Mutitu, Kenya

About this coffee Mutitu Washing Station is located in Kirinyaga, in the volcanic highlands of Mount Kenya. It belongs to Mutira Cooperative, an organisation that brings together nine washing stations and processes coffee grown by smallholder farming families across the region. The station is owned by its members and works with approximately 800 active farmers. Most cultivate coffee on plots averaging just 0.1 hectares, alongside maize, beans, potatoes, vegetables and fruit grown for household consumption. Ripe cherries are delivered immediately after harvesting and sorted again at the washing station. Each delivery is weighed and digitally recorded, with the corresponding information sent directly to the farmer’s phone to provide greater clarity and transparency throughout the process. More than 90% of the lot consists of SL28 and SL34, two varieties closely associated with the distinctive character of Kenyan coffee. The remaining portion is made up of Batian and Ruiru 11, newer varieties selected for their productivity and resistance. After pulping, the coffee undergoes a 24h dry fermentation. It is then washed with clean water flowing from the forests of Mount Kenya, soaked for 6h and slowly sun-dried on raised beds. In the cup Mutitu carries the clarity and intensity we look for in a great Kenyan coffee, balanced by a sweetness that makes the cup particularly approachable. Raspberry brings lively, juicy acidity, accompanied by the ripeness of peach. Honey rounds out the profile with a soft, enveloping sweetness, while orange peel emerges in the finish with a persistent citrus character and a subtle bitterness. A defined and expressive cup where fruit, sweetness and tension all move in the same direction. Why we selected it Kenyan coffees can be intense, vibrant and immediately recognisable. What convinced us about Mutitu, however, was the way it brings that identity together with balance. It has fruit and tension, but also depth and sweetness. None of these elements needs to be exaggerated for the coffee to clearly express where it comes from. All the precision we expect from Kirinyaga.. in a cup that is easy to return to.