Description
Kenya is known for some of the most meticulous at-scale processing that can be found anywhere in the world. Bright white parchment, nearly perfectly sorted by density and bulk conditioned at high elevations is the norm, and a matter of pride, even for generations of Kenyan processing managers who prefer drinking Kenya’s tea (abundantly farmed in nearby Muranga and Kiambu counties) to its coffee. Ample ground and river water supply in Nyeri has historically allowed factories to wash, and wash, and soak, and wash their coffees again entirely with fresh, cold river water.
The Karagoto processing station, or “factory”, as they’re known in Kenya, is one of four sites managed by the Tekangu Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS), an umbrella organization that centralizes management and marketing relationships for their member factories. Karagoto itself has 1000 contributing farmer members. At Karagoto, the cherries are hand-sorted for ripeness and floated for density before accepted and depulped each day. After the coffee is washed, it is soaked in fresh water to stop sugar fermentation and clean the parchment. The coffee is dried over a period of two weeks on raised beds, which are carefully constructed to ensure proper air circulation and temperature control for optimal drying.
Farm: Karogoto AA
Region: Nyeri
Country: Kenya
Altitude: 1700 meters
Process: Washed
Varietal: SL-28/SL-34
Taste: Cranberry, black currant, black cherry, tangerine, white sugar
Aromatics: Pomegranate, cranberry, brown sugar
Acidity: Bright/Juicy
Sweetness: High/sugary
Recommended Brewing Methods:
Aeropress/v60
- A key lime sparkling water
- A almond croissant
- A blackberry ice cream
- A warm summer morning