Kenya - Kainamui Kirinyaga Peaberry

Process | Washed

Variety | Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

MASL | 1740

Brown Sugar | Grapefruit | Mellow Spices

Most small-holding farmers in Kenya own an average of less than half a hectare of land, upon which many grow other cash crops - macadamia nuts, eucalyptus, tea, corn, bananas - in addition to coffee. These farmers typically deliver their coffee in cherry form to a local “factory” (processing plant) for sorting and processing; at the factory, the deliveries are blended and processed into day lots comprising the day' s deliveries. As such, most Kenyan microlots are traceable to the “factory,” not the farm, of origin.

The Kainamui factory in Kirinyaga County, where this lot was processed, serves just under 2,000 smallholder members of the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, a higher-than-average 600 of whom are women. Lots are sorted according to type; in the case of this lot, the peaberry or caracolillo. The peaberry is a distinctly ovular type of coffee bean, taken from a cherry containing a single fertilized seed instead of the more typical two. Peaberry coffee is known for its brightly acidic character, aromatic complexity, and light body. This lot is subtle and mellow in its flavors, with sweet brown sugar, cooked grapefruit, and warming spice notes combining to produce a satisfyingly cozy cup.