Kenya | Chepnorio AA

This coffee comes from the Chepnorio washing station located in Ma-gire within Kericho county. Here at 1700 MASL local small holders deliver their cherries to be processed at this community station. The primary varieties being grown are SL-28, Batian and Ruiru 11 on small garden plots. This is an AA separation harvested in December 2024. This lot is standing out for its balance and cleanliness. We are finding ripe fruit flavors of plum and grape along with black currant and a syrupy, rich honey mouthfeel.

The Chepnorio Farmers Co-op was founded in 1985 starting with 30 members. Initially very little coffee was produced, and payments were low. Over the years they have grown exponentially with the vision of improving the standard of living for its members. Today there are about 400 members and payments for coffee cherries have increased significantly. In 2017 they opened a new processing station which has greatly increased both quality and production. This is our first year tasting coffee from Western Kenya and we are thrilled to explore the country more.  This is an incredible coffee with the acidity we love from Kenya while maintaining great balance and sweetness making this a coffee for everyone.

Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and floated to remove defects. The ripe cherries are then depulped, density sorted, and left to ferment underwater for 24 hours. Following fermentation the seeds are thoroughly rinsed, soaked and rinsed again to remove all mucilage and are moved to the drying beds where they dry on raised beds for 13-15 days.