Lemon, Cane Juice, Blackcurrant
Lemon
Blackcurrant
Cane Juice
At La Cabra we are on a mission to understand and communicate how terroir, processing, and the work done at the farm are vital factors in producing incredible coffees. Earlier this year this mindset took us to Kenya where we visited farms in Kirinyaga and cupped nearly 400 coffees with exporters in Nairobi.
Part of the Rungeto cooperative, coffee from the Karimikui factory in Kenya’s central district Kirinyaga, has been an all-time favourite of ours for some years now. Located between 1.700-1.900 masl Karimikui has consistently produced high-quality coffees from SL varietals that we keep coming back to. This was the case again this year even after cupping several hundred coffees while on a visit in Kenya during the spring.
The Karimikui factory is located in Ngairiama in the Gichugu division of Kirinyaga district in Central Province, Kenya. It is one of three factories, along with Kiangoi and Kii, which together make up the Rungeto Farmers Coop Society. We have previously carried Kiangoi coffee as well so there is something about this coop that has us coming back for more! Established in 1953, the Rungeto coop now has around 3.500 members, each of whom tends to their own piece of land.
As is the case for coffee production worldwide, the average Karimikui farm is small with around 1 hectare of arable land. Most farmers live a subsistence lifestyle with a combination of income from coffee delivered to the cooperative and reliance on basic food crops such as root vegetables grown alongside the coffee plants.
Highly sought-after coffees from Kenya generally originate in the Central Highlands and on the southern slopes of Mt. Kenya. The unique terroir here leads to splendid cup profiles from trees that are often several decades old. Kirinyaga is no exception and generally offers rich and fertile red volcanic soils, high altitudes, and plenty of rainfall at the right times of the year. All of these conditions are important in ensuring that high-quality coffees can be grown.
The SL28 and SL34 varietals started to gain a foothold in Kenya during the 1930s after they were first developed as a mutation between Bourbon and Typica. The aim was to create coffees that could withstand drought while ensuring productivity. Both varietals are now famous for the wonderful complexity, lemony acidity, and red berry flavour notes that often result in the final cup.
| Wetmill | Karimikui |
| Region | Kiriyaga |
| Altitude | 1650 masl |
| Varietals | SL 28 & SL 34 |
| Process | Washed |
| Lot | AA1443 |
| Harvest | December 2016 |
This coffee was handpicked by smallholder members and delivered to the Karimikui factory where it was subsequently pulped. Using water flotation tanks, ripe and dense beans are first separated from unripe, so-called ‘floaters’. This also starts a fermentation process that lasts for around 24 hours. Afterwards, the beans are washed and sent to a secondary fermentation tank for another 12-24 hours. Once this fermentation is completed the beans enter washing channels where any remaining floaters are again separated and the dense beans are cleaned of their mucilage. To finalise the washing and fermentation process, the beans enter soaking tanks where they are placed in clean water for up to another 24 hours. All of these steps ensure that proteins and acids in the beans develop properly, which in turn ensures a complex acidity and rich fruit flavours.
You can brew our coffees any way you want it
is just a matter of the right ratios.
Showcase the purest, cleanest and finest coffees we can get our hands on.
Promulgate the wisdom on varieties, terroir and processing.
Reflect the changing of the seasons in the coffees that we present.
Release and reveal the innate quality of each unique coffee.
Roast lightly and gently with an utmost respect for the raw material.
Create long lasting partnerships among farmers, roasters and baristas.
Reflect sustainability, traceability and a sound production throughout the whole process.
Embrace innovation in each step from cherry to cup.
Broaden the knowledge of a new nordic coffee approach.
Lemon, Cane Juice, Blackcurrant
Lemon
Blackcurrant
Cane Juice
At La Cabra we are on a mission to understand and communicate how terroir, processing, and the work done at the farm are vital factors in producing incredible coffees. Earlier this year this mindset took us to Kenya where we visited farms in Kirinyaga and cupped nearly 400 coffees with exporters in Nairobi.
Part of the Rungeto cooperative, coffee from the Karimikui factory in Kenya’s central district Kirinyaga, has been an all-time favourite of ours for some years now. Located between 1.700-1.900 masl Karimikui has consistently produced high-quality coffees from SL varietals that we keep coming back to. This was the case again this year even after cupping several hundred coffees while on a visit in Kenya during the spring.
The Karimikui factory is located in Ngairiama in the Gichugu division of Kirinyaga district in Central Province, Kenya. It is one of three factories, along with Kiangoi and Kii, which together make up the Rungeto Farmers Coop Society. We have previously carried Kiangoi coffee as well so there is something about this coop that has us coming back for more! Established in 1953, the Rungeto coop now has around 3.500 members, each of whom tends to their own piece of land.
As is the case for coffee production worldwide, the average Karimikui farm is small with around 1 hectare of arable land. Most farmers live a subsistence lifestyle with a combination of income from coffee delivered to the cooperative and reliance on basic food crops such as root vegetables grown alongside the coffee plants.
Highly sought-after coffees from Kenya generally originate in the Central Highlands and on the southern slopes of Mt. Kenya. The unique terroir here leads to splendid cup profiles from trees that are often several decades old. Kirinyaga is no exception and generally offers rich and fertile red volcanic soils, high altitudes, and plenty of rainfall at the right times of the year. All of these conditions are important in ensuring that high-quality coffees can be grown.
The SL28 and SL34 varietals started to gain a foothold in Kenya during the 1930s after they were first developed as a mutation between Bourbon and Typica. The aim was to create coffees that could withstand drought while ensuring productivity. Both varietals are now famous for the wonderful complexity, lemony acidity, and red berry flavour notes that often result in the final cup.
| Wetmill | Karimikui |
| Region | Kiriyaga |
| Altitude | 1650 masl |
| Varietals | SL 28 & SL 34 |
| Process | Washed |
| Lot | AA1443 |
| Harvest | December 2016 |
This coffee was handpicked by smallholder members and delivered to the Karimikui factory where it was subsequently pulped. Using water flotation tanks, ripe and dense beans are first separated from unripe, so-called ‘floaters’. This also starts a fermentation process that lasts for around 24 hours. Afterwards, the beans are washed and sent to a secondary fermentation tank for another 12-24 hours. Once this fermentation is completed the beans enter washing channels where any remaining floaters are again separated and the dense beans are cleaned of their mucilage. To finalise the washing and fermentation process, the beans enter soaking tanks where they are placed in clean water for up to another 24 hours. All of these steps ensure that proteins and acids in the beans develop properly, which in turn ensures a complex acidity and rich fruit flavours.
You can brew our coffees any way you want it
is just a matter of the right ratios.
Showcase the purest, cleanest and finest coffees we can get our hands on.
Promulgate the wisdom on varieties, terroir and processing.
Reflect the changing of the seasons in the coffees that we present.
Release and reveal the innate quality of each unique coffee.
Roast lightly and gently with an utmost respect for the raw material.
Create long lasting partnerships among farmers, roasters and baristas.
Reflect sustainability, traceability and a sound production throughout the whole process.
Embrace innovation in each step from cherry to cup.
Broaden the knowledge of a new nordic coffee approach.
