438 Kenya Kiunyu AA

Flavor Notes

Navel orange, Apricot, Red Cherry,
Black tea, Brown sugar, Silky, Smooth

Beans

Farm: Karithathi Farmers’ Cooperative Society
Producer: Kiunyu Factory 
Area: Ngariama, Kabari, Kirinyaga, Kenya
Altitude: 1,644m
Varietal: SL34, Ruiru11, Batian, 

Processing: Fully Washed

Roast Level

Light roast

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＜Kiunyu Factory＞

The Kirinyaga region, located in central Kenya on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya, is known worldwide as a region producing high-quality coffee. At elevations ranging from 1,600 to 1,800 meters, the fertile volcanic soil created by Mount Kenya’s volcanic activity provides an ideal environment for growing coffee. Coffees from this region are known not only for their vibrant acidity but also for their smooth, full-bodied mouthfeel.

The lot we are introducing this time was processed at Kiunyu Factory, a washing station located in the Kirinyaga region. With a history dating back to the 1960s, Kiunyu Factory is now part of the Karithathi Farmers Cooperative Society. Around 3,000 smallholder farmers from the surrounding area bring their harvested cherries to the factory, where each lot is carefully processed.

The harvested cherries are first hand-sorted to select only fully ripe, red cherries. The cherries are then pulped using a pulper that separates the fruit through water flow and density, followed by fermentation, washing, and soaking. The coffee is then dried on raised African beds over approximately three weeks. During the drying process, the beds are covered during the strongest hours of sunlight and at night, allowing the drying rate to be carefully controlled and moisture levels to be evenly stabilized. Another major strength of the washing station is its ability to maintain a stable washed process throughout the year, thanks to the abundant, clean water of the nearby Karithathi River and its water storage facilities.

This Kiunyu is a coffee characterized by its moist, mellow sweetness. It is a coffee we would especially recommend to those who may not be accustomed to Kenyan coffee and would like to experience its unique character.

The green coffee had a relatively low moisture content of 9.5%. During the sample roast, we initially tried reducing the heat in the early stages of the roast, but the resulting cup tasted somewhat flat. For this roast, we therefore applied sufficient heat from the beginning to bring out a more pronounced expression of the coffee’s flavor and acidity.

When freshly brewed, the coffee offers juicy fruit flavors reminiscent of navel orange and red cherry. A refreshing aroma reminiscent of Earl Grey tea lingers pleasantly in the finish. As the coffee cools, a gentle sweetness reminiscent of stone fruits such as apricot and plum gradually emerges, while the mouthfeel becomes silky and smooth. The overall impression becomes softer, gentler, and more relaxed as the cup cools.

It has the bright character you would expect from a Kenyan coffee, but with enough underlying sweetness to balance the acidity, making it an exceptionally pleasant cup to enjoy from beginning to end.