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Kenya AA - Kirinyaga - Uteuzi Jimbo
$24.00
Summary
Perched high up in the southern foothills of Mount Kenya on rich red volcanic soil, the growing areas surrounding the Karimikui factory are ideal for producing some of the finest coffee in all of Kenya. Farmers in these fertile foothills typically cultivate around 250 coffee trees on half-acre plots. They have been delivering coffee cherries to the Karimikui factory since it first opened back in the 60's. This small amount averages out to roughly 1.3 bags (60kg) of exportable green coffee per farmer. Uteuzi Jimbo is the Swahili term for “county select”.
Farm: Small-Lot farmers organized around the Kianjiru Factory
Region: Kirinyaga County, Kenya
Process: Fully washed and dried on raised beds
Altitude: 1600 - 1800 meters
Roast Level: Medium
Brewing Recommendations: Drip, Chemex and Pour Over
Flavor Profile
This Kenyan offering is a just a tiny bit different than most Kenya coffees. Overall, Kenya coffees offer flavor notes that include higher citric notes like grapefruit and tart lime. This coffee begins with a profile of toasted nuts & caramel. It has some hints of vanilla with brown sugar sweetness. It finishes up with some herbal notes and a light lemon meringue note.
Details
In 1997, the farmers’ cooperative society (FCS) joined the Rungeto Farmers’ Cooperative Society, which manages just two other factories. Smaller in size than the other FCS, Rungeto has focused on quality processing and meticulous attention to detail, garnering it a reputation for amazing coffee traceable to some of the cleanest and best organized factories in Kenya.
At the Karimikui factory, only the ripest cherries are delivered and additional hand sorting and floating are done to remove less dense and damaged beans. Then the coffee is depulped, fermented and washed. After the coffee is washed, it’s soaked in fresh water for long periods of time to solidify the hallmark Kenyan profiles. 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.
These Kenyan coffees are sold based on quality at very competitive rates. These higher rates are great incentive for the farmers to produce the best possible product possible. One new factor creeping into the picture is the conservation of water at these mills for the central growing regions. Historically factories were able wash and soak, and wash their coffees again entirely with fresh, cold river water. Some areas are seeing huge decreases in water supply due to climate change. This will impact the way coffee is processed and methods will need to adapt to this changing landscape.
Type: Roasted Coffee