Description
Notes: Peach, Chocolate, Crisp
Processing: Washed, Double Soak.
Elevation: 1,880-2,000 MASL
Varietal: SL28/SL34
Region: Nyeri, Kenya
Producer: Gatomboya Factory/Barichu Farmers Cooperative
Color: Agtron 63 Whole Bean | 101 Ground | 11.8% Weight Loss
About
We probably get more excited for Kenyan coffees to arrive than any other origin. If you can find a good one, they are loud, full bodied, sometimes zesty, and have a syrupy finish. Lately it's been a little harder to find these legendary Kenyan coffees due to a litany of reasons. However, they are still around if you can get a little lucky.
Now, Gatomboya, in particular has always been high on my list of favorite co-ops to buy from so when we were cupping 15+ samples, blind, I was secretly hoping that Gatomboya would come out on top. You can't have prejudice on the cupping table though so I had to play it straight. As luck would have it, when the dust settled, their was consensus among the cupping squad that Gatomboya was the GOAT.
What we liked about the coffee was it had a full bodied, sweet base to stack flavors on top of. Those flavors are peach, although as we are drinking it more, we are just calling it "dark fruits", with slight floral undertones. Together they create a complex, syrupy cup that you will anticipate every morning.
More About The Coffee
Gatomboya is a washing station in Nyeri County, Central Province, where traditionally some of the best Kenya coffee lots come from; in Kenya these stations are referred to as factories. Nyeri District is known for complex, flavorful coffees with intensity. Gatomboya is owned by members of the Barichu Farmers Co-operative Society which has about 700 members who grow coffee and bring it to the factory for processing. At the factory, the coffee is mainly washed processed and then separated in qualities. These member farmers are typically smallholders who may grow other crops for income or subsistence such as macadamia, bananas, corn and beans.
Kenya has a unique double soak washing process. Washed coffee is distinguished by the clarity of the flavors and attributes that it can achieve. During this process, the sugars present in the mucilage are removed through natural fermentation or mechanical scrubbing. Fermentation can be done by stacking the coffee outside or placing them under water and allowing nature to take its course. After the sugars are removed, the beans then can be taken through a secondary washing to remove any additional debris, or taken immediately to the patios or beds for drying. During wet processing, the pulp is removed mechanically. The remaining mesocarp, called mucilage, sticks to the parchment and is also removed before drying. Mucilage is insoluble in water and clings to parchment too strongly to be removed by simple washing. Mucilage can be removed following fermentation by washing. The method and supervision of fermentation can make or break a coffee's final outcome. These coffee cherries were hand sorted by the farmers before they went into production. After their skins were removed the coffee was put into fermentation tanks where it was stored at least overnight, then washed, soaked and spread on drying tables. Once on the tables frequent turning is required until the coffee reaches the desired moisture level of 10-12%. Lastly the coffee, in its parchment parchment gets stored to rest until delivery to the dry mill.
This lot is comprised mainly of SL-28 and SL-34 varietals, Bourbon derivatives, that were developed decades ago by Scott Labs for the best flavors and are now being reproduced in areas around the world when conditions are right. These varieties are known for their depth, sophistication, and wine-like characteristics.
