Kenya Kirinyaga

WHY WE LOVE IT: Like any great coffee from Kenya, this coffee bursts with expressive fruitiness and lingering acidity. REGION: Kirinyaga PROCESSING METHOD: Washed ALTITUDE: 1,600 - 1,800 m VARIETY: Batian, Ruiru, SL-28 , SL-34 This coffee does what all great Kenyan coffees do: it bursts with bright, aggressively fruit-forward notes, led by prominent cherry and a lingering citrus character reminiscent of ruby red grapefruit. These vibrant, tart overtones rest on a comforting layer of flavors that reminded us of shortbread cookies. DISCOVER MORE Following the dissolution of the Ngiriama Cooperative in 1997, 1,150 former members came together to form the Rung’eto Cooperative. Shortly thereafter, they reopened all three coffee factories, including Kii Factory, which was originally constructed in 1985. The factory draws the water used to wash the coffee from the Kii River at the base of Mount Kenya. This lot comes from 80 cooperative members who are encouraged to employ sustainable practices, including recycling the water used during pulping and composting the coffee pulp to support future harvests. After harvest, the coffee is mechanically pulped and placed into fermentation tanks for 24–72 hours to help remove the remaining mucilage. The exact fermentation time depends on the altitude and climate. It is then washed one final time before being dried on raised beds or brick patios.