This is one heck of a top lot. Potent stuff and screams Kenya. Higher acidity gives all sorts of overly floral and soft fruit tones that linger into the aftertaste. Although higher acidity not insanely citrus like, very buzzy acidity. Very chocolaty and fuller bodied with tea like spice notes and a little of that classic Kenyan herbal factor. Somewhere in the balance one gets a hints of fruitiness and caramel before it hits you with that strong chocolaty undertone.
Thunguri, a town containing the factory that produced this zesty Kenyan coffee, lies just over the border inside Kirinyaga county, a mile or so from the Nyeri border.
In all, four of Kenya’s counties converge at the peak of Mt. Kenya: Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, and Meru, each well known for growing some of the country’s finest coffees. Mt. Kenya stands tall in the backdrop of the coffee lands; it is Africa’s second highest peak after Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
This coffee was grown by smallholders organized around the Thunguri factory (wet mill) in Nyeri County, Kenya. A member of Rumukia Farmers’ Cooperative Society, itself part of the larger Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters. The Thunguri Factory processes coffee from members who generally cultivate around 250 coffee trees on half-acre plots.
Tasting Notes:
A great cup! Super clean in its cup characters. Very bright and somewhat fruity at the lighter roasts; citrus, floral and red fruit balanced with just hint of a herbal chocolaty factor. Medium roasts get much nicer balance but build a big bodied darker tone pretty quickly, covers up most of the fruity factor but the more citrus floral cuts right through it, almost a grapefruit tone a the right roast. Darker roasts get very strong with predominate bakers chocolate and herbal like tones coming through, a little smoky and roasty.
Roasting Notes:
Good at almost every roast but be aware, it is a more extreme cup. Lighter roasts will be very acidic, dark roasts very full bodied with potent chocolaty spice and herbal. Most will want to start at a full city and go lighter or darker per personal taste. This is a good candidate to slow down the roast a bit (especially at the lighter roasts), mute up a little of the acidity and build greater flavor depth.
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