KENYA NYERI WASHED AB

GRAPEFRUIT | APPLE | BLOODY MARY | CARAMEL |

Named after the local village, Gatomboya Coffee Washing Station is owned by the cooperative that operates it and collects coffee from its members. The washing station follows rigorous processing protocols, with particular attention to quality at every stage.

Ripe, perfectly red cherries are delivered to the station and carefully sorted to ensure that only the best fruit is processed. Most producers grow coffee on plots of about one hectare, with an average of 400 plants, often intercropped with food crops and other cash crops.

After pulping, the coffee is transferred to fermentation tanks, where it remains for about 16–20 hours, depending on the ambient temperature. The coffee is then thoroughly washed to remove all traces of mucilage and graded through water channels.

The parchment is then spread on raised beds to dry in the sun, where it dries slowly for about 12–20 days. During the hottest hours, shade nets protect the coffee, helping it dry gradually and evenly.

The cooperative also adds value to lower-grade coffee from the harvest by roasting and grinding it, then marketing it under the local brand Barichu Coffee House. This initiative provides an additional source of income for the cooperative while promoting greater coffee-drinking culture among the producers themselves, creating a direct connection between the farmers and the product they grow throughout the year.

This coffee is made up of some of Kenya’s most important traditional varieties: SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11. Originally selected in the 1930s, SL28 is especially valued for its drought tolerance and complex, sweet flavor profile, often characterized by elegant wine-like fruit notes. SL34 is renowned for its rich body and balanced acidity, though it requires careful management because it is more susceptible to disease. Ruiru 11, on the other hand, offers high yields and good disease resistance.

Grown at an altitude of 1,800 meters in Nyeri District and processed using the fully washed method, this coffee expresses the distinctive character of Kenya’s best coffees, earning a Vannelli Cup Score of 87/100