DETAILS

I took my very first trip to Kenya back in 2014. My aim was not to meet producers but rather to get an insight into how the market works, and how we can improve the quality of the coffee we buy from Kenya.

Much of Kenya's coffee comes from cooperatives, which means it's tough to go to visit a person or build a long-term relationship. That said, it is possible to get something interesting going and to work on projects together by speaking with the leaders of the co-ops and washing stations.

Othaya Farmer's Cooperative is based at the Gatuyaini wet mill, just north of Othaya town. In the town there's a cupping room (and a talented QC person) and a new addition: a small roastery (where they hope to develop a market for their coffee inside Kenya). Othaya has many different wet mills in the co-operative, and we buy from one of the smallest – Chinga. Situated just south of Othaya town, the mill was built in the 1960s on the banks of the Gikira river.

The mill has some 783 members, and each member owns only a small piece of land of an average 0.3 acres. Members of co-operatives pick their coffee cherries and deliver them to a local mill like Chinga. The wet mill is managed by the rather tall Gary John, whom we asked to process a Natural lot for us for the very first time many years ago. Chinga mill is located near to the town of Othaya, just east of the Chinga dam. It's approximately 5 KM southwest of the town and is in the Nyeri county part of Kenya.

This coffee reminds me of melted rum & raisin ice cream. It starts with a slosh of booze, creamy sweetness and then dried fruit coming in. On the finish is a little shoulder of lemon zest too, then on the aftertaste a super unusual but gentle cinnamon.

• Country: Kenya
• Province: Nyeri
• District: Othaya
• Affiliated to: Othaya Farmer's Cooperative
• Farm: Chinga
• Processing: Natural
• Varietals: SL28 and SL34
• Average rainfall: 1,200–1,500 mm
• Altitude: 1,795 m.a.s.l.
• Drying method: Sun-dried
• Harvest method: Handpicked
• Coordinates: 0°34'45.4"S 36°55'35.2"E
• Soil: Rich volcanic loam

CUPPING NOTES

Rum and raisin, lemon zest, cinnamon

Clean cup: (1–8): 6
Sweetness: (1–8): 6.5
Acidity: (1–8): 6
Mouthfeel: (1–8): 7
Flavour: (1–8): 7
Aftertaste: (1–8): 7
Balance: (1–8): 6
Overall: (1–8): 6.5
Correction:(+36): +36

Total (max. 100): 88

Roasting Information
Medium-dark - this one needs to go hot to get it to the edge of second, but it also needs to have a reasonable amount of development time to build that creamy body.