Kenya Kirinyaga Rung’eto Peaberry Top Lot

Description

A super fresh top lot arrival!

Coming from family owned farms, located in the fertile foothills of Mount Kenya, that are organized around the Kii, Karimikui, and the Kiangoi Factories (wet mills) in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. Farmer plots are so small that measurements are based on the numbers of trees, not area of land. Farmers who process their coffee at the Kii, Karimikui, and the Kiangoi Factories are members of the Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society, which was established in 1953. The Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society operates these three factories, which have great reputation for the quality and consistency in the processing of their coffee.

Tasting Notes: Classic and clean Kenyan coffee. A higher acidity coffee chock full of exotic floral, spice, caramel and chocolaty herbal. Much of the coffee industry considers Kenyan coffee top of the food chain and one can see why in a cup like this. So many cool tones and flavor diversity. To some cups like these are flavor overloads, to others, they wonder why would one drink anything else. Light roasts are pretty front-loaded with bright and lemony floral tones, unlike our other lots, it does have some balance at the light roast points but only take it here if you like acidity. Medium roasts bring out a bit of caramel and balance out of cup properties, very tasty. A bit of floral acidity still but not overwhelming while the spice notes comes mostly in the aftertaste. Darker roasts get much lower acidity and give roasty and robust dark chocolate like tones with a spice accent, a bit smokier in the aftertaste.

Roasting Notes: Generally best in the light to strong medium roast range. Setup greatly helps smooth out some of the acidity and brighter notes. Light roasts are tasty but very acidic. A fun coffee to play around with roast, a very different tasting cup from light to dark. Strong coffee! Try brewing it a little weaker for a more delicate and easily drank cup if your not a traditional Kenya fan.

Kirinyaga coffee always holds a special place in my heart. My earliest coffee memories involved Kirinyaga coffee. Garry (well before Burman Coffee was in existence) was always a coffee head, I remember helping my mother make him pour overs of his favorite brew when I was only a couple feet tall. Golden Kirinyaga coffee from Victor Allen was his premium special coffee, not an everyday item, but one for special occasions. Even back then Kenyans were very expensive and rarer coffees. I remember the first fathers day I was actual able to buy him something myself from saved money, it was a bag of Golden Kirinyaga coffee. We later worked with Victor on/off with Burman Coffee over numerous coffees and origins (including Kirinyaga) but unfortunately Victor left this world late last year. Here is one tasty cup of Kirinyaga in your honor Victor!

Historical Background: Farmers in Rung’eto planted their first coffee trees in I953. The co-op has three wet mills: Kii, Karimikui, and Kiangoi. The co-op is located within Ngariama location, Gichugu division, Kirinyaga East district on the Southern slopes of Mount Kenya.

Management & Membership: The co-op is managed by an elected board of seven members, two elected from each factory catchment. Each member represents an electoral zone in the larger Rung’eto sublocation. Currently the co-op has 25 permanent staff members who are headed by a secretary manager. The secretary manager oversees the day-to-day running of the co-op under the supervision of the board.

The three wet mills in the co-op have a combined membership of 2,858 active farmers.

Coffee Production: The co-op is currently producing an average of 1,470,258 kg cherry.