Right when we were just starting to miss their previous Kenyan offering — coffees from the East African nation are a house favourite for us at Cape Coffee Beans — our friends at Rosetta have come through with a new one for us to enjoy! Kenya is famous for the quality of its coffee, which is a true reflection of the passion and dedication of its farmers and producers, as well as the Kenyan coffee industry’s culture of rigorous quality control. Once harvested and processed, Kenyan coffees are subjected to a precise screening and grading process, and then sent to a weekly auction managed by the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE). These auctions are highly competitive, and this ensures that only the highest quality lots eventually make their way to market. Hence, if you’re purchasing specialty-grade Kenyan coffee, you can be sure it’s legit. 

Like almost all Kenyan coffees, this lot was farmed by a collection of smallholding farmers and processed at their local washing mill (referred to as a “factory” in Kenya) in Embu County. Embu County is a relatively small coffee-producing region, but offers favourable growing conditions thanks to its climate and proximity to Mount Kenya. As is the case throughout Kenya, small scale farms in Embu are organised into mutually beneficial farmer cooperatives that provide material and educational resources to their members and facilitate the farmers’ access to local washing stations and Kenya’s coffee auction and export systems.

Phaedon's tasting notes

Everyone knows that Kenyan specialty coffee is pretty delicious, but most associate the origin with a very particular set of characteristics: those bright, winey, big bold acidic notes, most often associated with a Kenyan AA. Over the years, I've found that there are some more subtle but equally enjoyable pleasures to be found in the AA's slightly smaller AB brethren.

Those letters represent screen sizes, and in all kinds of life domains, one can be fooled into thinking that bigger is always better; Kenyan coffee prices seem to be one of those domains. To be fair, the larger, AA lots, may offer something bolder to savour (on average), but good AB lots sometimes offer a more comforting cup, at least in my books.

This AB lot is of this sort. It has some of that Kenyan brightness - of the nectarine variety, to my palate, at least - but it's also relatively mellow. It's fruity without being sour. It's also quite sweet, with a nice syrupy, relatively full body. It makes it quite easy to want another cup. I found great results in both immersion and percolation brews. My siphon, French press, V60 & Chemex notes all have a bright green colour code to them, as does my moka pot brew, somewhat unexpectedly. This coffee is a versatile as it is enjoyable.

Rosetta Roastery's notes

Style: Progressive
Flavour profile: Full, golden syrup, dark cherry

“Our approach to roasting Kenyan coffees centres around prominently showcasing the one of the most defining traits of the region: their splendidly vibrant acidity! To achieve this, we begin with a high charge temperature in order to initiate the development process.”

“This coffee’s bright character is complemented by the weight of a full mouthfeel and lingering golden syrup finish.”

Coffee details from Rosetta

“The Thambana Farmers’ Co-op is based in Embu County, near the Mount Kenya forest. The cooperative operates the Kiungu and Kathima factories and benefits from the area’s nutrient-rich volcanic soil. The coffee cherries are handpicked, pulped, and fermented overnight before being washed and graded. The cooperative emphasises sustainability, using the coffee pulp as fertiliser, and encouraging crop diversification. The lot’s high growing conditions mean it meets the criteria of Strictly High Grown (SHG) or Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) classification; consequently, the beans have more time to mature and absorb nutrients.”

• Altitude: 1700 - 1800 masl
• Processing: Washed
• Varieties: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian
• Region: Embu County
• Country: Kenya
• Producers: Smallholder farmers of the Thambana Farmers’ Cooperative Society
• Harvest: 2024