Kenya | Kayu AB

This lot comes from the Kayu washing station, located in the central province of Murang'a county.  The Station sits at 1650 MASL and has 1191 members delivering cherry from local farms. This is a AB separation of SL-28, SL-34, Ruiri 11 and Batian, harvested in December 2024. This lot has a good balance of flavor and high sweetness, with a high but not overly intense acidity. We are tasting notes of grapefruit, red currant and cane sugar. 

The Kayu station was founded in 1964 and is the oldest coffee factory located near the tea-growing zones. The station provides technical support to local farmers, giving guidance on pruning and best farming practices. A major problem in this area is farmers abandoning their land, which the station is trying to address by providing educational support to help farmers develop farms that thrive.

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 16 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.