Kenya
Guama

Washed process SL28, SL34

Flavour: port, raspberry sherbet, cooked rhubarb

Body: Acidity:

Guama is produced by the Baragwi Farmers Co-op, which is named after the small village just south of Mt. Kenya where the cooperative is located.

The Guama wet mill, located in the village with the same name, opened in 1974. The mill serves over 3,500 small producers, with the average producer having a crop of only 86 trees each.

The region

Kirinyaga is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya and together with the neighbouring 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 trees, which also often provide a second crop for farmers to sell.

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.

Certification

Baragwi Farmers Cooperative became Rainforest Alliance certified in 2011, which is an unusual step for a small cooperative. Certifications such as Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade, and organic, can be very expensive and time-consuming to obtain, and the cost of applying is borne by the producers, so though many of the farms we work with meet (or exceed) the requirements, many aren’t certified due to the cost.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% SL28, SL34 coffee beans, provided by Silo and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

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.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

Producer: Baragwi Co Operative Society
Country: Kenya
Region: Kirinyaga
Altitude: 1700 – 1800m above sea level
Varietals: SL28, SL34
Process: washed
Body: Full
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Port, raspberry sherbet, cooked rhubarb
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varietals

SL28 varietal

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 varietal

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.