Kenya

Kagumo

Ruiru and Batian instil a sort of national pride in Kenyan farmers—they were developed after the British colonialist era. We taste blackberry, blood orange, and marmalade.

Washed process Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11
Flavour: blackberry, blood orange, marmalade
Body:     Acidity:

The first Kenyan of the 2023 new season! And the first time, too, we feature the Kagumo cooperative goods.

The Kagumo factory is operated by the Mutira Farmer Cooperative Society, which is the umbrella cooperative overseeing several regional coffee factories, including Kagumo, Mutitu, and Kiangundu, among others; there are around 4,000 members who are part of the whole society.

Coffees in Kenya are typically traceable to the factory level, where smallholder farmers deliver cherry for sale and processing. Producers deliver their cherry and receive payment based on weight at the market level for the day. After the coffee is received by the F.C.S., it is sorted and processed into lots that are built by quantity, so it is nearly impossible to know which farmers’ coffees end up in which particular lot. Because of the very small average farm size, there is typically no way to keep more-detailed records at the factory level, without adding miles of paperwork and delay. This is one of the reasons it is difficult to find highly traceable coffees from Kenya.

The terrain around Kagumo is very steep and rich in minerals.

Microlots from Kenya are traceable to either the factory level or individual farm level (when possible), and are selected basis cup score. Because the majority of coffee farmers in Kenya own between 1/8–1/4 a hectare of land, most deliver coffee in cherry form to a local factory for sorting and processing; at the factory, the deliveries are blended and processed into day lots comprising the day’ s deliveries. Our green buyer for Kenya typically takes up residency in Kenya during the harvest due to the sheer number of samples to be cupped and selects the best of these lots to purchase as microlots (fewer than 100 bags).


Varietals

The varietals in this lot are SL28, SL34, Batian and Ruiru 11—all considered Kenyan-endemic. The first two were developed by the Scott Agricultural Laboratories, established by the colonial British government in 1922. The last couple were developed by the Coffee Research Foundation (CRF), based in Ruiru, and in response to severe Coffee Berry Disease and Leaf Rust outbreaks that struck Kenya in the late 60s.

Ruiru and Batian instil a sort of national pride in many farmers. These varieties were developed by national scientists right after the British colonialist era.

Find lots of interesting facts about Kenyan varietals on this article by Trabocca importers.


Process

Most of Kenya’s coffee is produced by smallholders delivering to factories (central processing units) that predominantly produce Washed coffees. Estates are also best known for their Washed lots. The Washed process in Kenya may vary slightly from place to place, but it generally contains a soaking step that is unique to this growing country. First, the coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same day, and then it is normally fermented in open-air tanks made of concrete or cement for 24–48 hours. It’s then washed thoroughly using water channels before being soaked underwater for 12–72 hours. It is then spread on raised beds to dry.

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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

Varieties

Batian variety

Batian is the latest variety to be developed in Kenya, it is named after the peak of Mount Kenya

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 Nyeri region of Kenya

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)

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.

Coffee delivery: coffee in resealable bag and farm information card

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Available to order online this week:

See all current coffees