Kenya
Gakuyuni Pb

Washed process SL34, SL28, Ruiru 11

Flavour: rich, blackcurrant, caramel

Body: Acidity:

What’s unusual about this coffee is that it’s a pea berry – the PB in the name. If you look closely at the beans, you’ll notice they’re different from what you usually see: they’re a whole round bean.

Most coffee beans split in two while the cherry is growing, giving the familiar flat-sided shape to the bean. A PB stays as one whole bean.

Comparing a peaberry bean with a typical bean (in this case, Ethiopian Heirloom)

Pea berries occur naturally in most varietals of coffee, and are removed from the crop as part of the manual sorting process because they behave differently during roasting, but with some crops it’s possible to collect enough to sell and roast separately.

The region

Kirinyaga is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya and together with the neighboring region Nyeri, it’s known for coffees with some of the most intense and complex flavours in the world.

The region is made up of mainly smallholder farms, each with some 100 trees. The farmers are organized in Cooperative Societies that act as umbrella organisations for the factories (wetmills), where the smallholders deliver their coffee cherries for processing.

Kirinyaga has a mix of smallholders and block holders with small to medium farms. The ones that don’t have their own processing equipment delivers cherries to their local Cooperative. Many of the farmers are surrounded by several wet mills and as members are free to choose where they want to deliver their cherries.

Most coffees are grown under shade from Gravelia and Muringa Alloevella trees.

Due to the traditional auction system in Kenya, quality is rewarded with higher prices. The better factories will then attract more farmers by producing coffee getting the highest prices, as well as giving high payback rate to the farmers. This can in some cases be about 90% of the sales price after cost of marketing and preparation is deducted.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Thirikwa Farmers Cooperative Society
Country: Kenya
Region: Kirinyaga
Altitude: 1700 – 1900m above sea level
Varieties: SL34, SL28, and Ruiru 11
Process: washed
Importer: Nordic Approach
Body: Medium
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Rich, blackcurrant, caramel
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Ruiru 11 variety

Released in 1985, Ruiru 11 is a disease resistant varietal developed in Kenya

SL28 variety

SL28 was developed in 1931 by Scott Laboratories to suit the growing conditions in Kenya. The varietal is known for its exceptional cup quality

SL34 variety

Developed by Scott Laboratories in Kenya, the SL34 varietal was designed to be high yielding with good cup quality.

The location

Coffee from Kenya

Alongside Ethiopia and Colombia, Kenya is one of the origins we get most excited about at the roastery. It exports some of the most vibrant, bright, and unique coffees in the world.

The Kirinyaga region of Kenya

This region is located east of Nyeri, and has similarly rich volcanic soils and a high percentage of smallholder producers.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.

4 brew notes from subscribers

Kenya Gakuyuni Pb

Ben’s Aeropress

Delicious. Have done this one both hot and chilled with ice. 17g/200g, stir at 30 and 60, press at 90, 30 second press. NFI if I'm "doing it right" with aeropress ;)