Kenyan coffee producers are notorious for their expertise and for their exacting processing and quality-grading practices. This is achieved in part thanks to Kenya’s cooperative system, wherein small-scale coffee producers collaborate as registered collectives of pulping stations and wet mills. Kenyan cooperatives provide support and training to their producers, assist in quality control and trading matters, and even supply equipment to their members at discounted prices. Research and development in Kenya’s coffee industry is also considered excellent. This makes it unsurprising that Kenya is one of the most celebrated coffee farming countries on the African continent,, known for producing top-quality coffees.

This particular lot comes from Kenya’s Embu County, a relatively small coffee producing region, and was produced by a collection of smallholder farms belonging to the Murue Farmers Cooperative. Murue is a notable Kenyan coffee co-op which works with and supports farmers to increase and improve their coffee yields, and thereby their livelihoods. Much of this aid comes in the form of training in good agricultural practices, which has contributed to farmers increasing their production while reducing their costs.

Kenyan coffees like this one are typically known for full-bodied and pleasantly tart berry flavours, which come out bright and clear with washed processing. Our friends at Rosetta Roastery are experts when it comes to progressive roasts that highlight these qualities. They've impressed us time and time again with their Kenyan lots, so we can’t wait for you to try out their latest offering.

Phaedon's tasting notes

The roast may well be progressive but the flavour of this coffee is classic - Kenyan AA Washed classic, to be specific. It's pretty bold. It's fruity with a wine-like acidity. Its flavours are jammy, syrupy and reminiscent of all kinds of red and purple berries. It's quite a delight to drink, in the same way that most high quality Kenyan AA lots are. I love this kind of coffee, though I recognise it's not necessarily everyone's cup of... coffee.

I found that my pour-over brews with this coffee actually toned down those big, bold, bright flavours a little. Some people may prefer it that way. I personally enjoyed it most in my immersion brews: French press, AeroPress and siphon, where all that body could really shine through, and the aromatics of the fruit flavour accompanied it.

Rosetta's notes

Style: Progressive
Flavour profile: Bold and bright, citrus, red grape, syrupy molasses

"Our approach to roasting Kenyan coffee centres around prominently showcasing the vibrant acidity, a hallmark of the region. Short and intense roast profiles, this accentuates its lively allure.

The term "AA" refers to the grading system used, indicating the size of the beans within this particular lot. Many specialty coffee buyers and roasters also consider bean size as one of the criteria when assessing quality. Large beans such as this are often associated with higher quality due to factors such as maturity and flavour development. Beans of a uniform size roast at a similar rate, and this helps mitigate the chance of over-roasting or under-roasting individual beans within a batch."

Coffee details from Rosetta

"Kianyangi is one of the four factories that forms part of Murue Farmers Cooperative Society, specialising in fully washed processed coffees. During the Kenyan coffee harvest season, skilled hands work diligently from October to December. The cherries are picked at their ripest and rigorously hand sorted. They are then pulped and sorted by density before fermentation, lasting between 16 to 24 hours. Post-fermentation, the coffees undergo another round of density grading in washing channels. A final soak for an additional 16 to 18 hours before making their way to the drying beds."

• Producers: Smallholder farmers of the Murue Farmers Cooperative
• Region: Embu County
• Country: Kenya
• Variety: SL28, SL34, Batian & Ruiru 11
• Altitude: 1700 - 1900 masl
• Processing: Washed
• Harvest: 2022/2023