A chance to taste two distinct AA selections from Kenya.
We love the vibrancy and unparalleled sparkling acidity that Kenyan coffees deliver, and feel that there is more to the cup profile than simple blackcurrant bombs. Here we are offering two AA selections to taste side by side to delve deeper into the complex cup characteristics. Gachatha AA hails from Kihora in Kenya's Nyeri region, and for us represents a 5 year buying relationship. Karimikui AA is grown in Ngariama in the Kirinyaga region, which we've bought for the last 4 years.
Gachatha AA
At the Gachatha washing station they have been using a modern eco-pulper to process their deliveries of fruit, removing the cherry skins and some of the mucilage from the coffee parchment layer before fermenting overnight. This step reduces water usage and allows more control over the process, but removes some 'fuel' in the form of starchy sugars from the fermentation stage. Combined with the Nyeri soil types and altitudes of up to 2,100 metres we are finding that this outturn from Gachatha has wonderful clarity and transparency. The cup has red fruit flavours like pomegranate and plum as well as tart herbal notes like rue herb and lime leaf. The sweetness is very refined and elegant, almost stone fruit like, and this is offset by a complementary bitterness akin to white tea, tonic water and pomelo. It reminds me a lot of an elegant, dry Sylvaner or fragrant white teas that hint at floral and stone fruit flavours whilst remaining very fresh with some interesting minerality.
Karimikui AA
At Karimikui they are using a more traditional disc pulper to depulp the coffee cherries after receiving, hand sorting and floating. The mucilage is broken down during the subsequent 24 hours before multiple washing and soaking stages. For us, these Kirinyaga coffees can have a hallmark 'rosehip' flavour profile, with a more bitey acidity and depth to them. The fruity notes are very much rhubarb, cranberry and raspberry, making for a very refreshing coffee. There is a little more juiciness and sweetness, like vanilla and honey, which rounds the cup out nicely. I would compare this to a Poulsard wine, or cold-steeped hibiscus tea.
What is interesting is that the combination of cultivars in both lots is the same, but looking at differences in regional terroir, altitude and processing approach we taste very different notes across these two AA selections.
Please brew with care, drink deeply and enjoy!
Save on each coffee when you bundle them together. Click here ➜
Share:
