Something interesting seems to be happening with regards to the Kenyan specialty coffees that are arriving in South Africa, and we're pretty excited about it. Because of challenges facing Kenyan farmers in recent years, as well as macroeconomic conditions, coffee pricing and exchange rate pressures, we just haven't seen as many top quality Kenyans on our roasting partners' menus, but this year this all seems to be changing. We've received a slew of exceptional Kenyan coffees to taste, and this is one of them.

There is an element of nostalgia to all of this for us, as in the early years of Cape Coffee Beans some of the most memorable lots we would taste would be from Africa's most prominent producing countries. Like this recent group of arrivals from Kenya (and this lot), they would also be processed with the traditional washed approach, allowing the flavours imparted by cultivation, terroir, and cultivar selection to come to the fore.

This particular lot is a AA; that refers to a screen-size grading employed in Kenya, but also a few other African countries. As part of the Kenyan approach, coffees grown by large numbers of small-scale farmers are graded, sorted and processed collectively at a central washing station, in this instance Kathande Coffee Factory. They are then sold through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange to international markets. AA lots are often among the most prized and highest-priced.

Kathande Coffee Factory is part of the Kagari North Farmers’ Co-operative Society, a typical organisation of smallholder farmers that work together to get collective access to the infrastructure and markets that they need to improve their livelihood. Together, they have earned Fairtrade certification as well as accolades for the quality of their coffee. The Kathande Factory is in Embu County where the local farmers benefit from the ideal climate and volcanic soils of the southeastern slopes of Mount Kenya.

We always like to take note of what our friends at Quaffee are choosing to source and roast, as they have a well-earned reputation for being very selective. In recent years, most Kenyan lots that Quaffee has chosen have been of the Peaberry variety which has quite a different form and flavour profile to the more common Kenyan AAs & ABs. Coffees like this showing up on Quaffee's menu is exciting for us, as it's another sign that the quality of Kenyan coffees available is improving, and it's also a treat to taste them roasted by the experienced hands at Quaffee.

Phaedon's tasting notes

This was both a nostalgic and an archetypal tasting experience for me. It definitely took me back to some of the washed Kenyans I used to taste in the early days of Cape Coffee Beans before alternative processes became all the rage. I believe that this kind of coffee is still worth getting excited about, even if it is quite different from much of what we might taste on specialty coffee menus currently.

One of the main things to appreciate about this coffee is the clarity in the cup. The flavours are clean, vibrant, and refreshing. I picked up a medley of citrus notes, from the lemon to grapefruit, deliciously ripe and sweet, but bright and zesty as well. In some cups, I also picked up a hint of something tropical.

I found best results with this coffee in a siphon or French press as well as a good old-fashioned moka pot. In terms of pour-overs, I quite enjoyed my Chemex brew where I believe the longer draw-down time (about 4.5m) helped to bring all those flavours out.

Quaffee’s notes

• Taste profile: Blackberry, citrus, molasses with a finish of Vanillin.
• Roast used: What we call a bump and kick, that shortens the development time by keeping the roast momentum going.
  
• Roast degree: Light
• Quaffee brews:
• Espresso: 1:2.4 (28 sec)
• AeroPress: 17.5g:200g (2min steep)
• Plunger: 48g:800g
• Pour-over/filter: 18g:300g

Coffee details from Quaffee

• Farmers: 536 smallholder members of Kathande Coffee Factory
• Region: Embu County, southeastern slopes of Mount Kenya
• Country: Kenya
• Altitude: 1,800–1,900 masl
• Processing: Washed, dried in the sun on raised beds until moisture is between 10 and 12%
• Cultivars: 100% Arabica SL-28, Batian

Quaffee’s transparency information

• Sourced from: Kathanda Coffee Factory
  
• FOB price: $22.92 / kg. This lot was flown in.
• Cupping score: 85.5
• Lot size bought: 60kg vacuum packed in 15kg bags.
  
• Relationship: Our first coffee from Kathanda.