Kenya Kirinyaga Kiunyu Washed (200g)

Description

Kiunyu is one of two coffee “factories” of the Karithathi Farmer Cooperative Society in Kianyaga town, Kirinyaga district of the Kenya highlands. A factory is a wet mill in Kenya vernacular, where to cooperative farmers bring their coffee cherry fruit for processing. Kiunyu was established in the 1960s and is situated at 1644 meters. It serves farmers in the villages of Kianduma, Kiambuku, Kiambatha, Gature and Kiamuki. The region has deep, fertile well drained red volcanic soils which are ideal for coffee production. The main coffee varietal in the area is the SL34. After harvesting, coffee cherry is delivered to the factory, where it undergoes a fully washed processing method. Water is pumped from the Karithathi River to reservoir tanks for pulping and recirculation. After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight, which insures that the mucilage is easily cleaned, next the coffee is soaked to even out the moisture content, then spread out on raised beds for drying.

This lot is grade AA which, under the Kenyan coffee classification, indicates beans above a 7.2mm screen size. Whilst bean size is considered by many to be a sign of quality, it is important to bear in mind that it is only one of many factors in determining quality as it is really only used to verify that the coffee is uniform in size, thus ensuring a uniform roast.