Washed process SL 28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian

Flavour: delicate fruit punch, orange

Gichathaini is one of three factories (or washing stations) that together form the Gikanda Farmers’ cooperative society.

The factory itself is owned by the coffee farmers who deliver cherries to the station. There are currently 897 members, with 770 of them active and selling coffees through the factory.

One elected factory representative sit on the Gikanda FCS management committee and are involved in making major decisions for the factory and for the Gikanda society as a whole.

The washing station itself is located on the Eastern side of Mt. Kenya national park about 6 km from the town of Karatina. The conditions for coffee growing are near perfect: there is abundant rainfall throughout the year, with concentrated wet periods between March-June and October- December. The average daily temperatures range from 15 C to 26 C with considerable cooling taking place at night.

The water used at the station for fermenting and washing the coffee is drawn from the nearby Ragati river using gravity-fed channels and is re-circulated during processing for conservation purposes.

After use it is moved into soak pits away from water sources so that it does not pollute the area.

Processing at Gichathaini

Timely and selective hand picking is carried out in Gichathaini wet mill. Cherry is delivered to wet mill the same day it is picked. Cherry sorting is carried out at the wet mill prior to the pulping.

Red ripe cheries are separated from underipes, overipes and foreign matter. Processing utilizes clean river water (wet processing) that is recirculated before disposal into seepage pits. Sun drying is done before delivery of the coffee to the dry mill for secondary processing.

AB: Coffee grading in Kenya

In Kenyan coffee you’ll often see initials, which are used 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).

Certifications

Gikanda Farmers Cooperative Society and the Gichathaini wet mill are certified Fairtrade, UTZ, and Rainforest Alliance certified.

 

Sourcing and ingredients

100% SL 28, SL34, and Ruiru 11 and Batian coffee beans, provided by Condesa Co.Lab and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Green coffee certified Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

Producer

1045 Small Holders

Country

Kenya

Region

Nyeri County, Mathira West District

Altitude

1600-1900m above sea level

Varietals

SL 28, SL34, and Ruiru 11 and Batian

Process

Washed

Harvested

November 2019

Body

Medium

Acidity

Bright

Tasting notes

Delicate fruit punch, orange

Roast style

Omni