KIUNYU PB

This fully washed lot is cultivated by over 3000 smallholders in Kirinyaga. At over 1650m, warm days give way to cool nights to produce sweet, complex coffees. Peaberry grade beans - when one coffee bean forms inside the cherry rather than two - are small, dense, and packed with flavour.

The Cup
A pure, aromatic cup. Cranberry, blackberry, and black tea are intertwined with bright citrus. Notes of black tea and orange blossom are elegant and refined. A smooth finish brings the delicate flavour of vanilla.

The Farm
Across Kiandumu, farmers cultivate small farms of approximately 250 to 350 trees at altitudes of more than 1,650 metres above sea level. Working alonigside our export partners Sucafina, farmers in Kiunyu have been able to maximise the standard of their coffee and the economic sustainability of their farms. With better access to soil quality information through the use of more modern technology and agronomical assistance, both tree health and cherry quality is improved. Farmers can reduce their reliance on fertiliser, while still improving yields and delivering the coffee quality that the washing stations prize.

‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximise scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. They are cultivated with a serious eye towards sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible.

The Process
The quality of Kenyan coffee is a result of both farming and processing standards. Smallholders selectively handpick only the ripest cherries and deliver them to the Kiunyu Factory: here the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense beans that will deliver the best flavour.

After sorting at the washing station, cherries are pulped and fermented. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and laid to dry on raised beds. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. They cover drying parchment during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter parchment from moisture.