Why We Love This Coffee

These coffee cherries come from trees that grow in rich, red volcanic soil and were carefully handpicked at peak ripeness by smallholder farmers (just 1-2 hectares per farm on average). After arriving at the Kiairia Factory (Factory is what Washing Stations are called in Kenya), the cherries are sorted and pulped, then fermented for 12-24 hours (exact time depends on the temperature, humidity, wind, etc) in cement tanks, then soaked/washed to remove the mucilage. Drying is of course on raised African beds, and took 7-14 days for this lot, with frequent turning to ensure evenness and prevent defects. Coffee that dries too quickly loses its sweetness and tastes hollow and dull. This was a big problem for Kenyan coffee for the past several years as higher temperatures made the coffee dry very quickly, sometimes in as little as 3-4 days. Different washing stations have employed various strategies in the past year or two to mitigate this issue, including using solar dryers, or simply covering the coffee in plastic sheeting during the hottest part of the day and again at night to protect them from both the hottest and coldest temperatures. These strategies clearly work and this lot is simply beautiful: we taste bright and juicy raspberry, red currant, grapefruit, and blackberry.

Quick reminder: AA and AB are just bean size designations; they are not an indication of quality (though you’ll find people who claim that AA always tastes the best). AA coffees are the largest beans - they will not pass through Grade 18 (18/64" diameter) sieve perforations. AB coffees are a mix of size A and size B - none will pass through a Grade 15 (15/64” diameter) sieve perforation. So this coffee being an AB tells you absolutely nothing except how big the beans are!

From Our Importer

Farms in this region are surrounded by forests of native trees where wild animals such as elephants and buffalos live. Local coffee producers use fences strategically along their farm perimeters to protect their crops and minimize contact with potentially dangerous fauna. The Kenyan government has prohibited logging and hunting in the area and producers are very respectful of these rules.

The farms here are mostly very small (1-2 hectares) and adults work the farms while children attend school all day. Schools here cost money, which unfortunately limits access to education and future opportunities in this mostly-poor area. Due to lack of opportunity, much of the young population is migrating en masse to cities in search of better jobs, leaving their parents alone on the farms or even taking their parents and abandoning their farms. This has been a big problem for a very long time, but the current high prices of coffee are encouraging young people to stay at the farms and keep cultivating coffee.

Photos are courtesy of Red Fox Coffee Merchants.