Processed at the Ndaroini station, owned by the Gikanda Farmers Cooperative Society.

Kenya

Ndaroini

Ndaroini is one of three stations owned by the Gikanda Farmers Cooperative Society, alongside Gichathaini and Kangocho. Gikanda is based in the area around the town of Karatina, lying on the border between the Nyeri and Kirinyaga regions, a major centre for coffee in the Mount Kenya region. There are several dry mills in the area, and coffee is often transported along this road back to Nairobi, or directly to port in Mombasa. Driving through Karatina on our trip in January this year, we were stunned by the beauty of this region. On certain turns in the road, the looming silhouette of Mt. Kenya reveals itself from behind forests of lush green, contrasting with the iconic dusty red volcanic soil. These soils, alongside mostly dry and warm conditions during harvest, are some of the keys behind Kenya’s incredible coffee quality potential. The Gikanda cooperative’s reputation for capitalising on this potential precedes them, and this washed AA lot from Ndaroini is no different. The traditional Kenyan washed process, with a second soak after washing, has resulted in an excellent example of the washed Kenya profile, with a deep intensity reminiscent of blackcurrant jam and dark chocolate.

Grown by smallholders surrounding the town of Karatina, located on the border between Nyeri and Kirinyaga

Kenya’s traditional washed process is a big factor in the unique character of Kenyan coffees. The cherries are first depulped mechanically, as soon as they arrive at the factory. The cherries should arrive for depulping as soon as possible after picking, hence why cooperatives make a great effort to have factories located close to concentrations of smallholders. After depulping, the seeds are covered in a layer of sticky fruity pulp, or mucilage. The mucilage is fermented in large tanks for between 12 and 24 hours, breaking it down to a point that it can be thoroughly ‘washed’ from the seeds, using long washing channels. Then, before drying, the cherries are taken to another set of tanks, and soaked under water, normally for a shorter time, between 10 and 12 hours. This ‘double soak’ is popular in Kenya, and is useful not only for enhancing the cleanliness and intensity of the final cup, but also as a second opportunity to sort for lower density floating seeds, as these are often of lower quality, or from unripe cherries. This attention to detail is one of the reasons Kenyan coffees are so consistently of very high quality, and why they carry a price premium above many other producing countries.