Giakanja
AbWe find flavours of strawberries, peach, passionfruit
The rich volcanic soils of Nyeri have produced some of our favourite coffees over the last few years, and we were more than a little excited to see the first of this year’s harvests arrive at the warehouse.
More Kenyan producers harvest two crops each year: a main crop from October to December (which is what you’re drinking with this delivery) and also a second crop between June and August that’s typically smaller and lower quality.
Giakanja Farmers Cooperative
Giakanja is a cooperative and wetmill, collecting and processing coffee from the farms in the area, who are all smallholders rather than large estates.
Nyeri County is between the eastern base of the Aberdare (Nyandarua) Range and the western slopes of Mt Kenya.
The cool temperatures and red volcanic soils combined with the altitude (around 1,700m above sea level) mean coffee develops slowly, producing relatively small crops of intensely flavoured beans.
Most of the coffee is grown as small family plots alongside the homes, located on the slopes and upper plateau. The main harvest months are from October to January.
Coffee drying on raised beds
Smallholders deliver coffee cherry to the factory, where it is depulped, dry-fermented, washed and soaked. Parchment is then dried slowly on raised tables during which time it is frequently turned and constantly sorted by hand to remove any defects.
In Kenyan coffee these initials indicate the size of the beans. AA is the larger of the two, based on a sorting screen sized 7.22mm; with AB made up of the combined beans of A grade (6.8mm) and B grade (6.2mm).
 
Learn how long and why you should wait in our brewing window recommendations.
Our brewguide recipes are easy to follow and designed to bring the best out of our coffee.
1:3.3
dose:yield
ratio
To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 65g of espresso out (yield), during 26-28 seconds.
1:15
beans:water
ratio
To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:15 ratio of beans:water.
1:16
beans:water
ratio
To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:16 ratio of beans:water
1:12
beans:water
ratio
To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water
Batian is the latest variety to be developed in Kenya, it is named after the peak of Mount Kenya
Released in 1985, Ruiru 11 is a disease resistant varietal developed in Kenya
SL28 was developed in 1931 by Scott Laboratories to suit the growing conditions in Kenya. The varietal is known for its exceptional cup quality
Developed by Scott Laboratories in Kenya, the SL34 varietal was designed to be high yielding with good cup quality.
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.
Central region home to Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano that produces rich, red soil. Most commonly smallholder cooperatives. Coffee trees in this region produce two crops (the main harvest producing the higher quality lots)
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.
Discover a new single origin coffee from Sample every 1-5 weeks with no delivery fees.
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Flavours of blueberry, green apple, panela
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