Despite its proximity to Ethiopia, coffee was not cultivated in Kenya until 1893, when the "Holy Spirit Fathers" (French Catholic missionaries) introduced coffee trees from Reunion Island and planted them near Mombasa.
In 1896, the first plantations were introduced in the Kiambu district, a very fertile area, which by 1912 already had large plantations of several hectares of expansion, where the Bourbon and Mokka varieties were mostly cultivated.
After Kenya's independence from the British Empire in 1963, the extensive experience and vast knowledge gained about coffee production were readily adopted by local small coffee farmers, resulting in the high quality standards for which Kenyan coffee is known worldwide today.
There are two varieties that particularly attract the majority interest of the specialty coffee industry, these are SL28 and SL34.
Scott Laboratories were contracted to develop new cultivars between 1934 and 1963. The development of the SL cultivars was based on the Mokka and Bourbon varieties, which were brought to Kenya by Scottish and French missionaries from Yemen and Reunion Island respectively.
Today, these two varieties are responsible for most of the quality coffee that Kenya produces, but they are susceptible to coffee rust.
THE STATION
The Kiangombe washing station (or factory as they are called in Kenya) is located in the central region of Kenya, more specifically in Kirinyaga County, situated on the fertile slopes of Mount Kenya at an altitude of approximately 1,794 meters above sea level.
The Kabare Coffee Growers Cooperative Society manages the Kiangombe washing station, which processes cherries from 548 small farmers in the surrounding areas, who typically grow between 300 and 500 coffee trees on small plots.
When a factory processes coffee from many different small producers, cherry grading is the most crucial step in ensuring cup quality. Small plots give these producers more control to selectively hand-select and deliver only the ripest cherries to the factory, but additional cherry selection also takes place at the factory before the coffee is pulped.
This batch was processed using the full-wash or wet method with double fermentation, where dry fermentation takes place before washing and again after pulping in sorting channels. After washing, the coffee is soaked in clean water for extended periods to ensure no mucilage remains attached to the parchment.
Farmers mainly cultivate SL28 and SL34 varieties, but as is the case with almost all cooperatives in Kenya, it can be mixed with other cultivars such as Ruiru 11 and Batian; although the latter are present in a very small proportion compared to the SL varieties.
THE GRAINS
Producer: Kiangombe Washing StationOrigin: Kirinyaga
Process: Washing
Variety: SL 28, SL 34
Altitude: 1,800 meters above sea level
Tasting notes: A very complex coffee with sweet floral notes. Fruity on the palate, reminiscent of blackcurrant, lemon, sugarcane, and peach.
THE IMPORTER
Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees is an importing company focused on high-quality green coffee. Roberto regularly travels to the origin to select outstanding lots, carefully produced by some of the best smallholder coffee cooperatives in Africa and Indonesia.
THE RECIPE
We offer these guidelines to help you develop a recipe, but keep in mind that it may change depending on the equipment you use, the mill, and the water.*
I N 20 grams of coffee
OUT 300 ml in a cup
No. of pours 5 -> 40 ml, 80 ml, 60 ml, 60 ml, 60 ml
Time between vertigo 40 seconds.
Water temperature 92ºC
