Kenya Kathima AB

Kathima is a washing station in Manyata, Embu County, on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. It belongs to the Thambana Farmers Cooperative Society, and about 2,200 of the co-op’s 4,500 members deliver cherry there — smallholders averaging around 250 trees each, picking by hand at peak ripeness. The farms sit between 1,600 and 1,800 metres on red volcanic soil, growing a mix of SL28 and SL34, the old Kenyan selections prized for complexity and body, alongside the hardier Ruiru 11.

At the factory the cherry is sorted, pulped, fermented and washed, then often soaked in clean water before drying slowly on raised beds. That extra soak is a big part of why good Kenyans taste so clean. In the cup this one is all dark fruit: blackberry and fig, jammy and sweet, held up by the bright acidity Kenya is known for. Five cartons landed in Los Angeles. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Tasting notes: blackberry, fig, jammy

Producers: Smallholders of the Thambana Farmers Cooperative Society
Washing station: Kathima Factory
Region: Manyata, Embu County
Process: Fully washed
Altitude: 1,600–1,800 MASL
Varieties: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11
Grade: AB
Cupping score: 88.25