Kenya
Kiandu

Washed process SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

Flavour: raspberry, blackberry, apple

Body: Acidity:

The Kiandu Coffee Factory is part of the Mutheka Coffee Farmer’s Society, which is made up of around 6,000 active members. Each of these farmers grows 160 or so coffee trees, and most farms grow other crops such as maize, beans, and sweet potato.

👉 Click here to read Cafe Imports 2018 Kenya Report 👈

After picking, the ripe coffee cherry is brought to the factory by the farmers, before it is processed to remove the skin and pulp, before coffee undergoes a dry fermentation to break down the mucilage sticking to the parchment, staying in the fermentation tanks for eighteen to 24 hours.

Then, coffee travels through washing channels to ensure all the pulp is removed and goes through one final overnight soak before being spread out on raised drying tables where it stays for 7-15 days, depending on climate, ambient temperature and the amount of coffee being processed.

From farmer to coop to factory

Kenya’s coffee production is made up of smallholder coffee farms, large estates and small estates. There are over 700,000 smallholders who make up about 55% of the Kenya’s production.

Smallholders are organized in to cooperative societies, which act as umbrella organisations for the factories (also known as wetmills) where these producers deliver their coffee crops for processing.

There can be several factories in an area which farmers are free to choose to deliver their cherry. Due to the traditional auction system in Kenya, quality is rewarded with higher prices, with better factories attract more farmers by producing coffee that fetches the highest prices, which then delivery higher returns to the farmers.

A coffee calendar

Like all farmed crops, coffee plants are affected by seasons and most countries have specific harvest periods where workers will travel through coffee regions picking coffee by hand. This seasonality means you’ll see different countries come and go from cafes through the year, and it’s also the reason coffee blends change through the year as fresh crops arrive.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11 coffee beans, provided by Cafe Imports 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: Mutheka Coffee Farmers Society
Country: Kenya
Region: Tetu Division, Nyeri
Altitude: 1700m above sea level
Varietals: SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11
Process: washed
Body: Medium
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Raspberry, blackberry, apple
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varietals

Ruiru 11 varietal

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

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 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.