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

FrontStreet Coffee Single Origin Coffee Recommendation | Kenya Handege AB & PB

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, a handful always make our eyebrows rise and the room go quiet. The emotional charge of a single cup is enough to reignite our passion when we are worn out from tasting thousands of samples a year.

Back and forth.

Repeated deliberation.

Round and round.

Until the moment it lands in the warehouse, and we watch our efforts become reality. That is the feeling we chase. Handege Factory is the coffee that overturned our settled impression of Kenyan coffee at the cupping table.

Unlike the more familiar Kenyan highland regions such as Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and Embu, Handege Factory sits further south in the Kiambu region, closer to the capital, on a hillside with a considerable slope. That was one of the details that surprised us most during our visit. Set at a relatively high elevation, the cooperative office, cherry collection station, bean tanks, depulping machine, and Kenyan-style fermentation tanks are arranged in sequence down the slope, followed by two high-level rack systems extending downward in different directions.

The left side uses a familiar layout: horizontal sun-drying racks arranged in a terraced pattern perpendicular to the slope, like contour lines. The right side, sitting directly below the fermentation tanks, has each rack bed running down the slope. Such rack systems are in fact common in Kenya, but the particularly steep gradient at Handege Factory caught our attention. These racks are mainly used for the initial drying of the parchment coffee surface, a pre-drying stage best understood as draining and initial sun exposure. Once that pre-drying is complete, factory workers carry the beans by hand to the sun-drying racks for the final drying stage.

In the Kenyan washed method there are two points of gravity and density selection. The first is flotation washing inside the depulping machine, which eliminates lighter beans. The second happens with the fully fermented beans, where repeated washing lets the lighter beans be carried forward by the water flow, achieving a further sorting effect. The washed beans are then moved in batches through pipelines by water power to the area above the racks and flow down naturally, with beans of different densities directed to different beds. Kenyan premium washed beans that undergo two rounds of gravity selection naturally become far more homogeneous in terms of maturity and density, perhaps also because of their higher density readings.

At this factory we saw the classic rack construction model that Kenyan washed processing makes possible, one built on terrain, water power, and a precise washing process. It is well worth studying.

Another striking feature is that Handege Factory has invested in greenhouse-style shaded racks previously seen only in Central and South America. On one hand this ensures stability and protects the beans from shifting weather; on the other, it opens the door to experimental processes such as shaded slow drying. Something to look forward to.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Handege shows off the polished, density-graded side of the Kenyan cup, and if you want to explore the country's washed character further, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Little Tomato is a fine companion piece. Grown in the Thika region and processed with the classic Kenyan double wash, it leans into a distinctly juicy fruit profile, with notes of cherry tomato, dark plum, pear, black plum, and brown sugar that make for a sweet-tart and mouthwatering pour-over.

Both lots share the same DNA: the SL28 and SL34 varieties at the heart of Kenya's reputation, sorted carefully and washed in stages so the fruit comes through clean rather than muddy. FrontStreet Coffee roasts its Kenyan offerings to order and ships within days of roasting so the bright berry acidity is still at its peak when the bag arrives. Brew them as a pour-over at a 1:15 ratio to keep the clarity and the long, tea-like finish intact.