Tasting Notes: Vanilla, Orange, Butterscotch
Kii | Region: Gichugu Division & Kirinyaga, Kenya | Varietal: Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 | Producer: 1,215 smallholder producers | Importer: Cafe Imports | Processing: Washed | Altitude: 1,600–1,900 MASL
Our average cupping score: 85
About the Producers
The Kii coffee factory is proudly operated by the Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society (F.C.S.), a collective of 1,215 dedicated smallholder farmers. Coffee has flourished here since 1953, with each farmer tending to around 400 trees on just a third of a hectare.
From harvest to drying, precision defines their process. Farmers deliver ripe cherries daily, where they’re meticulously sorted, depulped, fermented overnight, then dried. Fewer than 100 60 kg bags of coffee are selected by Cafe Imports’ green buyer for Kenya for each microlot, like this Kirinyaga Kii microlot, making this coffee very special.
What makes this coffee stand out
Fewer than 100 60 kg bags of coffee are selected by Cafe Imports’ green buyer for Kenya for each microlot, like this Kirinyaga Kii microlot, making this coffee very special. Most coffee farmers in Kenya own between ⅛ to ¼ hectare of land which is substantially smaller than most coffee farms in other producing countries, meaning farmers in Kenya typically bring their coffee to a processing mill where it is purchased and processed. Once the coffee reaches the mill, it is meticulously tasted to ensure quality before it is selected. Only the best coffees are selected for microlots like this one.
This coffee is a washed process coffee, meaning the fruit is washed off the seed using water before it is dried. Kenya has perfected the washed process, producing delicious bright washed coffees every year. The process varies at each washing station, but there is one step that is unique to Kenya’s process: the seeds are soaked in water after their initial fermentation for 24-48 hours. This ensures that all mucilage is removed before drying, creating a complex and clean flavor in the coffee.
BREW RECIPE:
Ratio: 18g coffee, 304g water | Grind: Medium-fine | Water: 205F
0:00 45 g (bloom)
0:30 115 g
1:00 160 g
1:30 220 g
1:45 260 g center pour
2:00 304 g center pour
3:00 Total brew time
