Kenya AB/Pearl Round Beans | Kiambu Region | Karug Factory | Ritho Cooperative

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FrontStreet Coffee Single Origin Coffee Recommendation | Kenya AA Asali

Kenya Handege AB, PB & Secret Lot - Extra Handpicking

Country: Kenya

Region: Gatundu, Kiambu

Altitude: 1,770m (actual measured altitude at the factory)

GPS: S 1°0'2" E36°52'20"

Variety: SL28, SL34

Producer: Small farmers from the cooperative society

Factory: Handege Factory

Cooperative: Ritho FCS

Processing Method: Traditional Kenyan washed processing method

Among the thousands of coffees we cup each year, there are always a few that make our eyebrows raise and the air freeze when we encounter them. The emotional impact of just one cup is enough to reignite our passion when we're exhausted from cupping thousands of samples annually.

Back and forth

Repeated deliberation

Round and round

Until the moment it lands in the warehouse, watching our efforts become reality—that's the emotional impact we seek! Handege Factory is the coffee that overturned our established impressions of Kenyan coffee at the cupping table.

Unlike the more familiar Kenyan highland regions (such as Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, etc.), Handege Factory is located in the Kiambu region, further south and closer to the capital, on a hillside with a considerable slope. This was one of the features that surprised us greatly during our visit. Located at relatively higher elevations, the cooperative office, cherry collection station, bean tanks, depulping machine, and Kenyan-style fermentation tanks are arranged in sequence downwards, followed by two high-level rack systems extending downward in different directions.

The left side is similar to the well-known rack system, featuring horizontal sun-drying racks arranged in terraced patterns perpendicular to the slope (like contour lines). The right side, located directly below the fermentation tanks, has each rack bed extending downward along the slope. Actually, such rack systems are very common in Kenya, but the particularly steep slope at Handege Factory caught our attention. These racks are primarily used for the initial drying (pre-drying, or can be understood as draining and initial sun-drying) of the parchment coffee surface. After completing pre-drying, factory workers manually transport them to the sun-drying racks for the final drying process.

In the Kenyan washed processing method, there are two mechanisms for gravity/density selection. The first is the washing flotation in the depulping machine, eliminating lighter beans. The other is the completed fermented beans, where during repeated washing, lighter beans are easily carried forward by water flow, achieving selection effectiveness. The washed beans are then batch-transported through pipelines using water power to above the racks and flow down naturally, with beans of different densities being directed to different beds through the pipelines. Kenyan premium washed beans that undergo two rounds of gravity selection naturally become much more homogeneous in terms of maturity and density, perhaps also due to their higher density measurement values.

At this factory, we witnessed the classic rack construction model brought by Kenyan washed processing methods that utilize terrain, water power, and precise washing processes—quite worthy of reference.

Another impressive feature is that Handege Factory has invested in establishing greenhouse-like shaded racks previously only seen in Central and South America. On one hand, this ensures stability and protection from weather variations, and on the other hand, it allows for experimental processes such as shaded slow drying—quite something to look forward to.

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Important Notice :

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