Kenya

Riakiberu

Washed process SL28, Ruiru 11, Batian

Flavour: strawberry, peach and blood orange

We keep 🎶 blessing the rains down in Africa 🎶 with this classic Kenyan coffee, full of shine and stonefruit/berry/citric goodness.

The Riakiberu Coffee Factory was established in 1994 and now serves over 1500 members under the umbrella of the Kamacharia Farmers Cooperative Society. As it’s typical in Kenya and other neighbouring countries, those members have the rights to harvest a small parcel of land with coffee trees. They bring the cherries to the cooperative or ‘coffee factory’, where they are mixed and processed together with the rest of smallholders.

This region, located between the Murang'a and Nyeri Counties, is indeed blessed with rains, moderate temperatures (16-26°C), medium altitude (1,200-1,650masl) and rich volcanic soil. The combination allows for the infusion of all the mineral and organic goodness, boosting the high acidity and fruitiness characteristic of Kenyan coffees.

There are two harvest seasons yearly, one from March to May, and the main from October to December.

This lot features a mix of mainly SL28, and some Batian and Ruiru 11— varieties widely adopted regionally due to their high resistance, high yield and beautiful flavour properties.

PROCESSING

Washing: once the ripe cherries have been picked, they are delivered to a wet mill and loaded into a depulping machine that forces the beans out of the cherry. At this stage, the beans are contained within the pulp of the cherry, also known as the mucilage. This sticky mucilage is composed of natural sugars and alcohols, and contributes massively to the sweetness, acidity and overall flavour profile of the coffee.

Fermentation: once the beans have been pulped, they are put into fermentation tanks for around 12-24 hours, depending on temperature, though farmers are now experimenting with fermentation time to develop different flavour profiles. Fermentation results in the mucilage being broken down, leaving the beans in their parchment and ready to be washed. Then, they will feel gritty in your hands, which means they are ready to be dried.

Drying: the parchment beans are taken to drying tables (raised African beds) for 10-22 days, where they are gently turned. It is widely accepted that a slower drying time contributes to greater balance and complexity in the cup.

All the images and information about this coffee and its producers have been kindly shared by the importer, Condesa Co Lab, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).

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Our ‘sweet spot’ for opening each coffee bag and brewing its contents is during days ~15-35 post-roast date.

Learn more about our updated coffee aging recommendations.

Need any brewing tips?

Head to our brew guides and find your favourite filter method—or head straight to our single origin espresso recipe. If you have further questions, send us an email. We’re always keen to help.

Learn everything about this coffee:

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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

Producer

Riakiberu Coffee Factory

Country

Kenya

Region

Murang'a County

Altitude

1650m above sea level

Varieties

SL28, Ruiru 11, and Batian

Process

washed

Importer

Condesa Co.Lab

Body

Acidity

Tasting notes

Strawberry, peach and blood orange

Roast style

Omni (filter + espresso)