This is the only Kenyan coffee we've bought this year and we are really excited about it.

I picked it at a tasting event earlier in the year run by a coffee friend who had travelled to Kenya to source a selection of coffees. We cupped them as a group — around 30 coffees on the table, all blind — and this was the one that stood out to me. Typically, it turned out to be the second most expensive on the table.

Part of the reason I was happy to buy it through a larger importer was a connection I already had. When I visited Kenya a couple of years ago, I spent a day with the people behind this coffee — visiting a producer and their farm. So it didn't feel like a cold purchase.

Gicherori Factory sits in Kibugu, Embu County, on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, operated by the Kibugu Farmers Cooperative Society. Around 1,100 smallholder farmers deliver their cherry here, and the FCS has a strong reputation for quality across several factories in the region. The coffee is fully washed — handpicked at peak ripeness, fermented in concrete tanks and dried on raised beds for 7 to 14 days. AA is the top grade in Kenya, denoting the largest bean size and consistently the most complex cups the country produces.

When I roasted and cupped it for the first time it really put a smile on my face.

This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Suitable for / Whole Bean, Aeropress, Filter, Cafetière, Espresso, Stove Top

Notes / Red Currant, Grapefruit, Chocolate
Producer / Kibugu Farmers Cooperative Society
Region / Kibugu, Embu
Altitude / 1,650–1,800 MASL
Variety / SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru 11
Process / Fully Washed
Importer / Sucafina