Kenya Kamwangi

• Tasting notes blood orange, thyme, silky
• Roast level light
• Region kirinyaga
• Varietal batian, ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
• Process washed
• Elevation 1100-1800 m

Kamwangi is a vibrant one. Blood orange first, sweet and sparkling, with a savory thyme note sitting underneath. The body is silky, so the acidity stays out front, with a floral lift that comes in behind the fruit notes. Kirinyaga's volcanic soil runs high in phosphorus, which is where that fruit and sparkle come from.

New Ngariama Cooperative Society runs two mills in Kirinyaga, one of them Kamwangi, where this lot came from. The co-op holds back money from every harvest so members can draw against it for operations and education. The lot is SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian varietals, grown between 1,100 and 1,800 meters. It's washed, with the extended tank fermentation that's standard in Kenya and pushes the berry side of the fruit forward.

If you already reach for Kenyan coffees, this one leans all the way in. It's a light roast, and pour over gives the blood orange and the thyme the most room to shine. It's also the only savory coffee on the site right now. Worth knowing if the rest of your shelf runs toward chocolate.