Giakanja AA, Kenya

Established in 1968, just after Kenyan independence, Giakanja Washing Station has been at the heart of coffee production in Nyeri for more than 50 years.

The name comes from the local village of Gichagi gia Kanja — meaning “the village belonging to Kanja” — an identity that was retained by the community after independence and eventually became the name of both the village and its cooperative society.

Giakanja sits between the southern slopes of Mount Kenya and the foothills of the Aberdare Range, with coffee grown at 1,700–1,800 metres above sea level. The high elevation and cool climate slow cherry maturation, giving the coffee plenty of time to develop its sugars and characteristic clarity.

Farmers grow predominantly traditional SL varieties, with cherries hand-picked at peak ripeness and carefully sorted before processing.

Once delivered to the station, cherries are floated and pulped in the evening, before undergoing an initial 20-hour dry fermentation. The parchment is then washed to remove the remaining mucilage and held in fermentation tanks for a further 24–26 hours before its final wash.

From there, the coffee is transferred to raised drying beds, where it is slowly dried to a stable 10% moisture content.

The result is a classic expression of Nyeri — high-grown, vibrant and clean, with the structure and acidity we look for in a washed Kenyan coffee.

Our September release is available online, in the roastery, and as part of the Discover Subscription.