Kenya AA Kirimukuyu, Nyeri Region | Ruiru 11 from Matira Kare Wet Mill

Kenya AA Nyeri Region Kirimukuyu | Mathira Kariea Washed Processing Station - What Does Ruiru 11 Taste Like?

Kenya is a benchmark country for exceptional coffee. Coffee was first introduced from Britain in 1900, and for the next half-century plantings were limited to traditional Arabica types until the country's now-legendary SL28 and SL34 Bourbon varieties were developed around 1950. Every lot is processed with the fully washed method, and grading follows the AA PLUS, AA, AB system based on uniform bean size - a measure of size consistency rather than of quality. Premium altitudes run from 4,200 to 6,800 feet. In 2009-2010, global warming and disease cut production and pushed prices up. Since then, the steady rise of specialty coffee and Kenya's irreplaceable blackberry character have kept top-quality Kenyan beans expensive, which is why direct-trade buyers compete so hard for the best lots. The beans themselves are relatively large and carry a pronounced blackberry acidity. Kenya can harvest twice a year: April to June is the secondary season, while October to December is the main crop.

Most Kenyan beans are sorted into uniform grades and inspected by the Kenya Coffee Board before they reach auction. The public auction system dates back to before 1934 and runs on an agent model. Kenya has 50 licensed agents who send sample beans to their own clients for cupping, and clients bid through those agents on the coffees they like best. The arrangement, however, tends to let middlemen erode farmers' income. So in 2006 Kenya opened up 32 independent sales agents who can deal directly with foreign coffee buyers without going through auction - provided they meet Kenya Coffee Board standards for quality, storage, and bank guarantees. Both systems now run side by side. After several years of development, this has become one of the most transparent auction systems anywhere: better coffee earns a better price through cupping, which encourages more cooperatives and farms to take part. Even so, the direct route has one clear advantage - it puts buyers in touch with farmers themselves, and with firsthand information.

Mathira Kariea Processing Station sits in Kenya's western Nyeri region and has operated since 1951. In 2011 it handled 220,000 kg (about 3,666 bags), with hopes of reaching 350,000 kg (about 5,800 bags) the following season. It is a small processing station that only accepts farmers who hand-pick fully ripe red cherries and deliver them the same day. The pulp and fruit are removed, then the beans ferment for 16-48 hours before the surface mucilage is washed off. This is the crucial step that preserves the rich, robust blackberry acidity, and it matters enormously. Because the bean's price is effectively decided here, an increasing number of Kenyan lots are routed through small processing stations for exactly this reason - freshness is the key to quality.

Farm Information

Farm: Baragwi Farmers Cooperative Society

Name: Mathira Kariru - Mathira Kariea Processing Station AA Beans

Grade: AA

Country: Kenya

Region: Central Kenya, Mathira West District, Kirimukuyu division, Karie location

Altitude: 1,600-1,700 meters

Farm Size: Small-scale coffee farmers

Soil: Red volcanic loam soils

Harvesting Method: Hand picked

Certification: Fair Trade

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: SL 28, SL 34, Ruiru 11

Processing System: Full Washed - dried on African raised beds

Top Jury Descriptions: Cupping roast level is 60 seconds after first crack begins (Cinnamon roast)

Aroma/Flavor: Cinnamon, fennel, plum, osmanthus fragrance, oolong tea, jasmine, lavender, perfume-like notes, honey, sugarcane

Acidity: Blackberry acidity, kumquat acidity, grapefruit - abundant and juicy, massive and powerful, not sharp acidity, but traditional rich-bodied acidity

Complexity and Other: Good complexity, moderate emulsification, obvious fruit sweetness, very sweet, aftertaste with distinct preserved kumquat flavor

Overall Style: Very acidic, very complex, heavy blackberry acidity. The difference between good and bad Kenyan beans lies in which one has massive, complex, robust, unrefined acidity. In recent years, more and more people have been pursuing this special acidity in Kenyan beans - it's a unique taste experience!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g coffee. First pour 25g water for a 25s bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level drops to half in the coffee bed, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, pausing during pouring helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Kenya's crisp, juicy style is what you're after, start with FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato. This Kenyan single origin is fully washed - the country's signature double-wash fermentation - which coaxes out a vivid cherry-tomato and dark-plum acidity wrapped around a full, juice-like body. Behind that bright snap sit pear and black plum, finishing with brown sugar sweetness and a faint green-tea lift. It suits pour-over best, but cold brew and espresso both work beautifully too.

For a softer, more floral take on the same washed tradition, try FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding. Grown by the Guodingding cooperative in Yirgacheffe, it is medium-light roasted to show jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, with green tea and honey sweetness in the cup - a gentle, clean expression of washed Ethiopian coffee that also performs well as cold brew or espresso.