**New** KENYA KAMWANGI

Complex, rich, elegant, bright. Blackberry, fresh citrus fruits, date syrup,  floral and tea notes.

Roast Level  |  Light Medium  

Kenya, as a coffee producing nation, is unique for a number of reasons: It grows coffee varieties that are almost exclusive to Kenya. Developed by Scott Laboratories in the 1930s varieties like SL 34 and SL 28 have been mainstays until the emergence of more recent hybrids like Ruiru 11 and Batian. It is not uncommon to graft the new varieties to older SL rootstock due to their deep root system, allowing for less water and nutrient demands.

Because smallholders grow so little volume individually, many belong to a Farmers Cooperative Society making single farmer traceability rare. These democratically run societies own and operate washing stations called factories, which are centrally located in regional coffee communities. 

Coffee is bought and sold via two avenues: Primarily through the national weekly coffee auction in Nairobi, where lots are bid based on quality, and the Second Window, a fairly recent arrangement where societies can sell outside of the auction directly with a buyer. 

Higher quality coffee is processed mostly via washed fermentation that undergoes a “double soak,” contributing to the distinct vibrant and rich flavour profile so sought after by Kenya aficionados.

This coffee is grown and produced by the Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, situated in Gichugu District, Kirinyaga. Ngariama owns and operates the Kamwangi factory where all post harvest processing occurs. Only fresh picked cherries that are perfectly ripe are used at the factory, as this is the first step to quality in processing. During the harvest, the cherries are depulped each evening to remove the skin and most of the fruit. The pulped coffee is placed into tanks of water to ferment between 24-28 hours then moved through water channels, where the softened mucilage is sloughed off. Premium lots are then rinsed clean and allowed to soak in fresh water for an additional 24 hours, hence the double soak, before they are dried on raised meshed tables for 9-13 days until moisture content reaches 11-13%. Finally, the dried coffee is sent to a dry mill to remove the remaining parchment and is picked free of defects before being graded by size and bagged for export.