Beans: Ngorongoro AA Top
Roaster: Home roasting
Roasting Degree: Full city
Origin/Area: Arusha, Tanzania
Grade: AA++ (Top)
Screen: 17 up
Defect: None
Altitude: 1,300 ～ 1,500m
Variety: Burbon, Kent
Process: Fully washed, Sun dried
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 5
Sweetness: 5
Acidity: 5
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 5
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Dark, mellow, deep, cocoa, a touch of oak, malts, roasted wheat berries, full bodied, juicy, moderate, mild flavor, chocolatey, Dutch process cocoa, well mixed sweetness and bitterness, slight acidity, raspberries, green papaya, slightly tangy but clean, non-purified cane sugar, a touch of heavy cream, thin and transparent layers of soft/mellow bitterness, clear fruity acidity hidden, mellow bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Cupped and graded by Taylor Winch LTD. the biggest coffee shipper in Kenya. This beans has been quite stable in terms of both supply and quality.
Beans: Jungle estate
Roaster: Home roasting
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Kingongo, Nyeri county, Kenya
Grade: AA Top
Screen: 18 up
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,740m
Variety: N/A
Process: Washed
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 4
Sweetness: 4
Acidity: 5
Bitterness: 4
Richness: 5
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium note, floral, jasmine flower, a touch of almond flower, bitter chocolate, soothing, roasted black beans, light note of tropical fruits, yellow kiwi, papaya, creamy, juicy texture, full bodied, Bordeaux like, rich, silky, mellow sweetness, brown sugar, bosc pear, Red Bartlett, cacao beans, full body, light clear bitterness, soothing, cocoa, raw cacao nib, sheer acidity behind bitterness, passion fruits, white grapes, Rosé Champagne like fruitiness with passion fruits like mouth feel as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Jungle estate, established by European settlement in 1920's, is blessed with extensive wild life surrounded by primeval forests, volcanic ash, and has rich water supply from both chania river and Muringato River. Currently the estate is owned by Keremara Limited and managed to marge into the forest. The owner has been managed the estate along with philosophy of sustainability over 100yrs.
Many says this is one of the highest quality Kenyan coffee we can ever dream of, and I totally agree with their opinion. This is the one to present after I found the best roaster.
Beans: Gitura Washing station
Roaster: Doi Coffee
Roasting Degree: Full city
Origin/Area: Kangema town, Murang'a, Kenya
Grade: AB
Screen: 15-17
Defect: 6 d/300gr
Altitude: 1,400 ～ 1,600m
Variety: Kent, SL-28
Process: Wet-Process
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 2
Sweetness: 3
Acidity: 4
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 2
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium, sweet, mellow, orange, green banana, brown sugar, cardamon, nutmeg, clove, milk, medium body, creamy, milky, well-balanced, vibrant fruity acidity, papaya, mango, blood orange, weighty, fresh sweetness, pineapple, brown sugar, dark maple syrup, tangerine, a touch of earthy mouth feel as top, fruity sugary sweetness and mellow bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste.
Name: Kagumo-ini
Roaster: Namamame Hompo
Roasting degree: Full City
Area: Mathira, Nyeri, Kenya
Variety: SL28, SL34 and others mixed
Grade: AB
Screen: 15～17
Altitude: 1,600m
Defect: N/A
Processing Method: Fully washed,
African bed dried
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 5
Sweetness: 4
Acidity: 4
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 4
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium dark to dark, sweet mellow aroma, dark chocolate, raw cocoa, coconut sugar, Cardamom, touch of Juniper berry, grapefruits and Meyer lemon as top note, silky texture, bitterness with creamy sweetness, earthy, cinnamon like spice, high tone citric acidity, candied orange peel, cacao nib, fruity sweetness, blood orange, satsuma mandarin, clean, tangy bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Kagumo-ini is a coffee mill that is part of the Mugaga Farmer’s Cooperative Society, near Karatina town in Mathira, produces higher quality coffee season after season. Majority of Kenyan coffee mills produces high quality beans by following “traditional” Kenyan methods: hand-picking, hand-screening, water pulping, fermentation, soaking, washing, sun-drying on African-bed, and 30 to 40 days maturing in a wooden silo before refined. At Kagumo-ini, These SL28 & SL34 cherries were hand-picked by the small farmers and processed with Kenyan method, processed with two fermentations and dried on raised beds.
Name: Maganjo Factory, Rumukia FCS
Roaster: Home roast
Roasting degree: Full-City
Area: Mukurwe-Ini, Nyeri District, Kenya
Variety: SL28
Grade: AA TOP
Screen: 17/18
Altitude: 1,700 - 1,850m
Defect: N/A
Processing Method: Washed
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 5
Sweetness: 5
Acidity: 4
Bitterness: 4
Richness: 4
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium dark, aroma-ful, fruity, pineapple, peach, Nectarine, cacao nib, roasted peanuts, dark caramel, beets sugar, mellow, well balanced sweetness and bitterness, thin layer of citric acidity, lime, grapefruits, mild sweetness of cocoa, hazelnuts, baked sweet potato, coconuts sugar like sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste. Cup impression dramatically change once a cup is chilled: Dagoba new moon chocolate, mellow, deep dark sweetness with soothing bitterness, no acidity detected.
【Note】
Member of Maganjo Factory grows SL28, burbon hybrid which has high desiccation resistance. Coffee cultivation requires about 1,800mm of annual precipitation, in average; however, Kenya and Tanzania only has 1,000mm. Maganjo’s SL28 won the first place of AFCA 2013. The very first encounter of Maganjo was in 2013 roasted by Nama mame hompo.
Beans: Kangocho Kenya
Roaster: Intelligentsia Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium
Area: Karatina, Nyeri District, Kenya
Altitude: 1,600 - 1,900m
Varieties: SL28, SL34
Processing: Traditional, Wet
Screen: 17 - 18
Grade: N/A
【Impression】
Light to Medium, nutty note, spicy, black currants and cherry, sweet&spicy, high tone of citric mouth-feel, lemon & white grapefruits, followed by strong body of cacao, tint of fresh apricot, decadent body, fresh & clear, syrupy sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Kangocho Factory is one of the oldest prize-winning mill in Kenya, which managed to reserve Kenyan traditional processing methods. Kenyan wet methods increase clarity and sweetness of beans, but it became less popular when productivity was emphasized in retail markets. Kangocho Factory is the one focused on this traditional methods to increase the value of their products rather than competing with others over productivity matters, which results in the global recognition toward the factory.
Beans: Kiangai AA
Roaster: Beans Tei
Roasting degree: Full City
Area: Kirinyaga, Central Kenya
Kiangai factory @ Kibirigwi Farmers Co-operative Society
Altitude: N/A
Varieties: SL28、SL34
Processing: Fully-washed
Screen: SC18
Grade: AA
2011 Cultivation
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 5
Sweetness: 5
Acidity: 4
Bitterness: 4
Richness: 5
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Roasted almond aroma with light citrus tone. Dark and mild flavor, gentle bitterness combined with deep sweetness as caramel, bitterness as short aftertaste. Earthy and flavor full but heartwarming flavor.
My one of the top African coffee.
【Note】
Kiangai processing facility develops fully matured and hand picked beans from micro farmers around the mill. Kiangai mill carries superior processing skills, which has high ability to heighten values of beans.
Beans: Gakuyuini Coop, Micro lot
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium
Area: Kiringa, Kenya
Altitude: 1,570m
Varieties: SL28、SL34
Screen: 18 up
Grade: N/A
Processing: Fully Washed
【Flavor scale】
Body: 5
Bitterness: 4
Richness: 4
Aroma: 5
Acidity: 4
Sweetness: 5
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium to medium dark, clean body, mellow, orange like sweet and fruity aroma, mix of tangerines and California orange with a touch of almond, mild bitterness as dark chocolate, high percentage cacao contained chocolate, citric acidity hidden, clean, soothing flavor, slightly different degree of bitterness as thinly layered, juicy sweetness hidden, syrupy sweetness with a scent of bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste.
High quality dark chocolate like flavor satisfies craving for sweets in the afternoon! This flavor maximize when it's served without Milk and Sugar at first.
【Note】
Unlike other Kenyan beans, this Gakuyuini lot has clean and less tangy bitterness: less "spicy" and "earthy". Fruity and Juicy orange/tangerine like citric sweet aroma associates with Caribbean roots rather than African. Although tidbit of profiles separates Gakuyuini from Kenyan origin character, a general flavor impression still carries African flavor intensity as well as "earthiness" within its sensitive/clean flavor.
Beans: Kenya Gachami
Roaster: Akai-mi coffee
Roasting degree: Medium dark
Area: Kirinyaga district, near Kianyaga, Central Kenya
Gachami coffee factory
Altitude: 1,600 ～ 2,000m
Varieties: SL28 and SL34
Grade: N/A
Processing: Traditional Kenyan methods
☆In Traditional Kenyan methods, the coffee cherry is milled by a four disc depulper, double fermented, washed, soaked and finally dried in two different stages. Each harvest day coffees are processed meticulously and kept separately since quality varies everyday.
【Impression】
Medium to dark, silky texture, high density, fruity citrus aroma as blood oranges mixed with light flowery sweet aroma of Daphne odora, Winter daphne, layers of cacao nibs like bitterness bottomed with tangy earthy acidity, gradually growing sweetness of vermouth cassis and dark berries with dark chocolate, dark bitterness as long lasting aftertaste. Good for afternoon coffee in hot summer, maybe for water dripped iced coffee.
【About Gachami】
Operated under cooperative system of the Baragwi Coffee Farmer's Society, the Gachami coffee factory presents high quality coffee beans to COE. Built in the early 1970's, members of Gachami are blessed with deep red volcanic loamy soils of Aberdare range and with sufficient water supply from Kaboyo River provides, and grow SL28 and SL34, varietal of Arabica commonly found in Kenya.
In this area, the average annual rainfall is between 1,100 ～ 1,200mm and the average temperature 19 ~ 20 Celsius degrees. It is said that over 1,000 active members belongs to this cooperative, who work within walking distance of the coffee mill. The cooperative provides educations to farmers together with supports for every aspects of coffee business, which has been expanding possibilities of this factory in the world markets.
Beans: Kenya Kangunu
Roaster: Coffee Kobo Higuchi
Roasting degree: Medium dark
Area of production: Murang'a, 140km NW of Nairobi, Kenya
Kangunu coffee Factory
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Altitude: ranges around ：1,750m
Defects: N/A
Processing: Washed
Variety: Bourbon
Yr of cultivation: 2011
UTZ CERTIFIED
【Impression】
Medium to light, full body, lemony and pink grapefruits citrus aroma, fruity acidity, blackberry and cranberry, combined with dark chocolate like sweetness bottomed with pomegranate syrup, light clear bitterness, complex structure bitterness cored as long lasting aftertaste with tangy acidity. Vivid, lively flavor and aroma with complex flavor.
Unlike the most Kenyan coffee, this Kangunu lot leaves strong citrus impression of pink grapefruits with juicy sweetness rather than earthy spices.
Beans: Kenya
Roaster: Akaimi coffee
Roasting Degree: City
【Impression】
Balmy sweet aroma of ripen chestnuts combined with a hint of lime, very light to medium body. Sweetness as roasted almonds and cashews, lemony acidity slightly touches, earthy strong flavor in core flavor, mixed spice like refreshing with subtle bitterness after taste. Well-balanced and mild flavor.
【Note】
Although the Kenyan coffees used to have a settled and earthy flavor with defined bitterness, characteristics have been sifting to milder and sweeter flavor range even with consideration of roasting degrees and techniques. The Kenyan beans seems to be taking efforts to "compromise" with the majority with minimizing their original uniqueness...
Beans: Red mountain, Pea berry
Roaster: Bean's Tei
Roasting Degree: Dark
Origin: Nyeri, Kenya
【Flavor scale】
Mildness: 2
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 5
Aroma: 5
Acidity: 2
Sweetness: 3
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Citrus top note with dark chocolate like cacao aroma as mid/bottom note, medium body with simple, clear flavor, sweetness as a long lasting after taste, strong Earthy feeling. Soothing and light texture, nutty, almonds chocolate like mild sweetness as core flavor, harmonized with a bit of bitterness, no acidity detected. Well developed and harmonized flavor.
Good for Morning and afternoon break coffee w/o cream and sugar.
【Impression】
Fresh and cool flavor like summer tangerines! Light and Clear body, but deep and full flavor.
Sharpness and citrus, lemony acidity, with lightly bitter aftertaste. Flavor of this cup softly touches like a nougat melting in mouth: Sweetness gradually spread with a small size of bitterness, sourness in a center, melting a little by little.
The best coffee to have summer morning or any time to refresh.
Sharp fruity Kenya taste may pair with salt crackers with blue cheese dip.
Strongly recommend to serve as BLACK.
