Blackcurrant, Orange, Cacao Nibs

Producer: Gikanda Farmers Co-Operative Society
Origin: Nyeri, Kenya
Varietal: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
Elevation: 1900 masl

This AA top washed lot is from Ndaro-ini PLC, a privately owned company working with around 2,000 growers in Nyeri county, near the border with Embu county. Ndaro-ini was founded in 1986 by farmers tired of walking long distances to deliver their cherry to the closest mill. Thus they named it Ndaro-ini which means "Place of rest" in Swahili.

The Process

The coffee is wet processed, where the fully ripe cherries are:

• Pulped
• Fermented for 12 - 48 hours (depending on climatic conditions)
• Washed
• Dried slowly over 2 - 3 weeks on raised African beds until the moisture content is reduced to 10-12%.

The coffee is then processed at Othaya dry mill where it is rested in parchment for 3 weeks before being hulled, cleaned and graded by bean size. Finally, the coffee is carefully handpicked before being bagged in GrainPro for export from Mombasa.

The Region

Nyeri County has cool temperatures and fertile central highlands, lying between the Eastern base of the Aberdare (Nyandarua) Range, which forms part of the Eastern end of the Great Rift Valley, and the Western slopes of Mt. Kenya. Nyeri town (county headquarters) acts as a destination for those visiting Aberdare National Park and Mt. Kenya.

The combination of fertile soil, seasonal rainfall and high altitude provide the ideal climate for coffees characterised by high acidity, full body and ripe fruit flavours. Due to the cool temperatures at altitude, particularly at night time, coffees from Nyeri tend develop and mature slowly producing very dense, hard beans high in acidity and complexity.