Kenya Kirinyaga AB Kii Washed

[A word from the roaster]

After some time away, I bring you beans from Kenya's Kirinyaga region once again.

The moment you take the cup in hand, a dense richness and fruitiness meet you first. Kenya's powerful, full-bodied fruitiness and textured sweetness are almost like a confiture. As the temperature drops, a concentrated sweetness rises to the center, shifting toward a clearly defined taste that recalls citrus and red fruits.

This is a Kenya that many look forward to each year. Whether taken black or paired with milk, it is a cup that lets you fully enjoy its rich range of expression.

[About the origin]
Kenya is known as one of the world's foremost producers of high-quality coffee, and within it the Kirinyaga region is a celebrated growing area blessed by Mount Kenya rising to its south. It sits at a high altitude of 1,700 to 1,800m, with annual rainfall of about 1,150mm. The fertile red alluvial soil (soil carried by rivers, rich in organic matter) offers excellent drainage and aeration, an ideal environment for growing coffee. With a wide day-to-night temperature swing, the cherries ripen slowly and store up plenty of sweetness and fruitiness.

This lot comes from the Kii Washing Station, part of the Rungeto Co-op, located in Ngariama in the Gichugu district in the eastern part of the Kirinyaga region. During the harvest (October to December), nearby smallholders hand-select only the ripe red cherries (sorting them by eye) and deliver them to the station. From there, the cherries go through pulping (removal of the fruit flesh) by density sorting with a water flow (using differences in density to remove unripe beans), fermentation, soaking (steeping in clean water after fermentation), and washing, then sun-drying on African beds (raised drying tables). After drying, the parchment is rested for a set period (a settling stage that stabilizes flavor) before moving on to hulling and dry milling. These steps are essential to producing a clean cup with clearly defined character.

The Rungeto Co-op is a long-established organization founded in 1953, and today more than 1,200 producers are involved with this Kii Washing Station. Each farmer's plot is small, under 1ha, yet they receive technical guidance from the washing station across cultivation, fertilization, harvesting, and processing as they work to raise quality. Kenya has two harvest periods a year, and the main crop (September to December) in particular tends to yield lots with an excellent balance of fruitiness, sweetness, and richness. This Kii is a fine example. Whether as an everyday cup or as company for a slow, savoring moment, it lets you feel all that is distinctly Kenyan.

[Tasting notes]
Rising from the cup is an aroma that recalls ripe citrus and red fruits. The mouthfeel has weight, and a clearly defined fruitiness spreads alongside a concentrated sweetness. The finish is long, clean, and transparent, and even paired with milk the richness never gets lost, showing a wealth of expression.

Product Name Kenya Kirinyaga AB Kii Washed
Region Eastern Kirinyaga (Gichugu district, Ngariama)
Altitude 1,700 to 1,800m
Producer Rungeto Co-op (over 1,200 smallholders; provides quality guidance and shared processing)
Process Washed
Roast Level Medium roast