FEATURED COFFEE FOR JUL 2021 :
KENYA EMBU
MWIRIA AA
Kenya Embu Mwiria AA - Fully Washed
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Our current featured coffee is a single lot from Mwiria purchased directly from our origin partner before it was sent to auction. Its remarkable clarity of flavour, clean sweetness, and notes of black currant and grape candy due to the perfect growing conditions, double fermentation, and curated varietals of coffee cherry. The result of the commitment to quality at each stage in producing coffee will surely impress you on your tasting experience.
GENERAL BEAN INFO
REGION
EMBU
GROWER
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COLLECTIVE
WASHING STATION
MWIRIA FACTORY,
NGANDORI FCS
MAIN VARIETALS
SL28, SL34,
BATIAN
ALTITUDE
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1300M - 1900M
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PROCESSING
FULLY WASHED
CUPPING NOTES
NOTES OF BLACK CURRANT,
GRAPE CANDY WITH AN IN-DEPTH SWEETNESS
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ABOUT KENYAN COFFEE
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Kenya’s sunny weather, dry climate, and acidic soil allow coffee plants to thrive and produce excellent coffee beans. As the 16th largest coffee produce in the work by volume, Kenya is considered as a prominent specialty coffee origin. Coffees from Kenya are often known for their bright acidity, rich body and delightful aroma. Although it can express sharp acidity like grapefruit rind and herbal notes, top quality Kenyan coffee beans when well-roasted display notes of black currant, and complex fruits, just as in our featured Kenya Mwiria AA coffee.
ABOUT THE GROWING REGION: EMBU
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This coffee bean lot was produced from cherries collected from around 1000 active farmer members at the Embu region (1300-1900 masl). This region, one of Kenya’s traditional coffee growing regions, resides at the south east of Mountain Kenya. In addition to high elevation and cool climate, the nutrient-rich volcanic soil offers perfect conditions for growing outstanding coffee beans.
PROCESSING – DOUBLE FERMENTATION/ KENYAN WASH
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After harvest, the cherries are delivered to the Mwiria washing factory, owned by the Ngandori Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative along with two sister washing stations, Kiini and Karuriri. The cherries undergo Double Fermentation, also known as Kenya Wash, which contributes to the exceptionally clean coffee profile.
First, ripe red cherries are meticulously selected, leaving the unripe and over-ripen ones. After the cherries have been de-pulped, they are quickly placed in ceramic tile fermentation tanks filled with clean spring water for 12-24 hours depending on the weather. The coffee cherries are then flushed out of the tanks into water channels while the agitation removes mucilage from the beans. Once again, the cherries are soaked in tanks overnight to further remove mucilage caught in the cracks of the beans. Although this process is sos time-consuming, Kenya Wash gives Kenyan coffee an extra depth, crisp acidity and a clean and long finish.
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VARIETIES OF KENYAN COFFEE BEANS
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There are five popular coffee plant varietals grown in Kenya, including SL28, SL34, and Batian in our Kenya Mwiria AA. SL28 and SL34 have been cultivated in Kenya for almost 90 years. They not only provide excellent cup quality, but also good longevity and high yields. Though, they are susceptible to diseases. K7, a newer varietal, has disease resistance, but unable to match the yield and quality of the SL series. Consequently, scientists created Ruiru 11 and Batian, disease resistant coffee plant in hope of producing matching excellence of SL28 and 34.
KENYAN COFFEE GRADING
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You may wonder what the “AA” means. It is actually the grade of the coffee bean in terms of bean size. The eight Kenyan coffee bean grades include E, PB, AA, AB, C, TT, T and MH/ML, while AA beans are the largest Kenya coffee beans you could purchase. Including our Kenya Mwiria AA, Kenya AA beans have an addictively sweet characteristic, representing one of the world’s finest specialty coffees.
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GALLERY
BREWING PROFILES & TASTE NOTES
ESPRESSO-BASED
BREWING PROFILE
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM DARK
WATER TEMP : 94 °C
PRE-INFUSION TIME : 6s
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:2
TASTE NOTES
ESPRESSO:
BLACK CURRANT, RASBERRY, GRAPE, FLORAL, MINT, MEDIUM BODY
MILK COFFEE:
ALMOND, MILK TEA, CACAO, MILKY SWEET
V60 POUR OVER
BREWING PROFILE 1
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM LIGHT
WATER TEMP : 92 °C
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:15
DURATION: 2:30
BREWING PROFILE 2
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM DARK
WATER TEMP : 92 °C
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:15
DURATION: 2:05
TASTE NOTES 1
BLACK CURRANT, BLOOD ORANGE, MINT, TEA-LIKE, SLIGHTLY NUTTY, CACAO
TASTE NOTES 2
GRAPE, TANGERINE, ORANGE PEEL, BLACK SUGAR, OOLONG TEA
AEROPRESS
BREWING PROFILE 1
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM LIGHT
WATER TEMP : 94 °C
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:13
DURATION: 2:45
BREWING PROFILE 2
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM DARK
WATER TEMP : 92 °C
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:13
DURATION: 2:30
TASTE NOTES 1
LIME, BERRY, BRIGHT ACIDITY, BLACK SUGAR, TEA-LIKE
TASTE NOTES 2
BLACK CURRANT, ORANGE, ORANGE BLOSSOMS, BLACK TEA, MINT, ALMOND AFTERTASTE
SYPHON
BREWING PROFILE 1
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM LIGHT
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:13
DURATION: 2:15
BREWING PROFILE 2
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM DARK
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:13
DURATION: 1:45
TASTE NOTES 1
CITRUS, ORANGE, GRAPEFRUIT, OOLONG TEA, JUICY, CLEAN
TASTE NOTES 2
GRAPE, DARK CHOCOLATE, BLACK CURRANT, BLACK SUGAR, BITTERSWEET
NITRO COLD BREW
BREWING PROFILE
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM DARK
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:10
BREW DURATION: 18 HOURS
TASTE NOTES
BLACK CURRANT, EARL GRAY TEA, FLORAL, CHOCOLATE
COLD BREW
BREWING PROFILE
ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM DARK
GROUND-TO-COFFEE RATIO : 1:10
BREW DURATION: 18 HOURS
TASTE NOTES
LIME, MINT, BLACK TEA, CLEAN, SMOOTH
PREVIOUS FEATURED COFFEE ORIGINS