Kenya – Kagumoini AA

Description

Technical Info

Producers: Small Holder Producers

Region: Kamacharia, Murang’a County, Kenya

Process: Fully Washed

Elevation: 1,750 meters above sea level

Varietal: SL 28, SL 34 with a bit of Ruiru 11 and Batian

About the Producers

The nearly 1,400 small-holder producers who deliver cherry to the Kagumoini Coffee Factory grow primarily SL-28 and 34 varietal coffee as well as a bit of Ruiru 11 and Batian in the nutrient-rich, red-volcanic soils on the slopes of the Aberdare Range, which forms the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley.  

Sitting at around 1750 meters above sea level, on average, the altitude of the region creates cooler temperatures which allow for slow development and maturation; one of the keys to the prized, bright acidity and complex tropical fruit character that the area’s best coffees are known for. 

At harvest time, the coffee is selectively picked by hand.  The freshly-picked, ripe, red cherries are delivered to the factory (as wet-mills/washing stations are called in Kenya) where it is pulped and then fermented for typically 12-24 hours depending on weather.  

After fermentation the coffee is washed with fresh water in washing channels and finally dried on raised beds.  As the coffee dries it is rotated by hand to ensure even drying and is sorted to remove defects.  The drying time varies depending on weather.  

Once the coffee reaches 11% moisture it’s sent to the dry mill where it is hulled to remove the parchment layer, analyzed for quality, further sorted and screened for size and then bagged and prepared for export.  

The Kagumoini Coffee Factory is known for producing some of the best coffees in Kenya therefore the producers are paid some of the highest returns for the coffees they deliver.  To maintain and even increase the quality that is being delivered, members of the Kagumoini Coffee Factory are supported through pre-financing, training, ready access to farm inputs, Good Agricultural Practice seminars and access to the most current educational materials on sustainable farming.  

The factory is run by a manager, Geofrey Thuku, and a team of full-time staff whose duties include receiving and weighing coffee, coffee selection and grading, paying producers and addressing producer issues and feedback.

We purchased the AA selection from Kagumoini during the most recent harvest.  AA is the largest and typically most well-sorted offering available.  We find that this often, but not always, correlates to higher-quality in the cup and when this is the case we are happy to pay the premium that this grade of coffee commands.