rich and velvety with notes of port, nectarine, and blood orange
region: kiambu county
producer: komothai coffee farmers society
wet mill: kanake
varietals: sl 34, sl 28 (90%), batian, ruiru 11
process: fully washed, 24-36 hour ferment, no soak, dried on raised beds for 14-20 days
elevation: 1900 masl
harvest: october-march
importer: crop to cup
from crop to cup:
On the upper elevations of the Aberdare Range in Kiambu county is where you’ll find the Kanake Wet Mill. it’s truly picturesque – nestled in between small tea farms and low-laying clouds. The high elevation – 2100+ MASL– creates a cool, and often high-humidity environment, ideal for drying coffee slowly – preserving all the organic materials necessary for a bright, juicy cup.
The Kanake Factory is part of a larger Cooperative (Komothai), which manages 12 processing facilities / factories. This scale can be a definite advantage. For example, Komothai has its own dry mill and processed this year’s crop of Kanake coffee themselves. Lot separation and specialty milling requests are easily handled, and the coop maintains more of the value of the coffee by keeping the milling in-house. In addition, Komothai is building a cupping lab to host buyers and to further their knowledge of the coffees they produce. Wilson is the long-time Chairman (serving several terms) and shows all the signs of a motivated leader, including shrewd negotiation.