Keňa - Kirinyaga AA

We roast this coffee for filter. It works well for all filter brewing methods (V60, Solo Dripper, AeroPress, Chemex, French press, Clever Dripper...).

We have been paying close attention to Kenya and its coffee production for a long time. For us, Kenyan coffees are a guarantee of clean fruitiness and belong among the coffees we love returning to at Father’s.

The Nguguini Wet Mill was founded in 1958 in Karatina, in the Kirinyaga region, which is known for producing distinctive coffees.

The station is managed by Kibirigwi Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited. It is one of the oldest cooperatives in the country and has long focused on high quality and proper agronomic practices in coffee tree care. 
Today, it works with more than 1,200 smallholder farmers. Each of them farms around one acre of land at altitudes between 1,600 and 1,650 metres above sea level, creating great conditions for high‍-‍quality Arabica. During the harvest, which runs from October to January, local pickers hand‍-‍select only ripe, red cherries.

The traditional Kenyan fully washed method gives this coffee clarity and bright acidity. The whole process takes place in several connected steps:

1. Picking and depulping: Freshly harvested cherries are first stripped of their outer skin using disc pulpers. The beans remain covered in a sticky layer of fruit pulp, known as mucilage.
2. Density sorting: The beans then move through water channels, where they are sorted by density. Heavier, higher‍-‍quality beans sink to the bottom, while lighter beans float on the surface. The result is three quality grades, with the highest quality marked as P1.
3. Dry fermentation: The sorted beans are moved into fermentation tanks, where they rest without water for around 24 hours. During this natural fermentation, the remaining pulp breaks down and the beans develop their typical slightly rough texture.
4. Washing and final cleaning: After fermentation, the coffee is thoroughly washed in channels with clean water. This removes the last loosened impurities as well as less dense beans, which significantly contributes to the clarity of the final cup.
5. Drying: The coffee is dried on raised beds for 7 to 15 days. In slower conditions, drying can take two to three weeks, until the moisture content drops to 10–12%.

This coffee brings together three varieties, each with its own specific contribution. SL28, selected in the 1930s, gives the coffee a complex, sweet profile with wine‍-‍like undertones. The historic SL34 selection adds a full body and balanced acidity to the final cup. The blend is completed by the more modern Ruiru 11 variety, which brings stability and natural resistance to coffee tree diseases.