Kenya Kirinyaga Rungeto Kii AA

Kenya AA's are notoriously pricey and we didn't want to settle for a mediocre offering while charging an arm and a leg for it. The bar was set high for this one and we're pleased to announce that this coffee delivers! Tons of silky body, bright and tangy with a dry finish, it's got notes of juicy red grapefruit, lime, cocoa and a distinctive herbal undertone.

Arrival Date: February 5th, 2021

Acidity & Brightness: very bright, citrus sweetness and tangy

Balance & Finish: Fairly balanced, dry finish 

Body & Texture: Full bodied, silky texture

Flavors: Red grapefruit, lime, cocoa, herbal undertones

Grade: AA

Processing: Fully Washed, shade grown, hand picked, sun dried on raised tables

Varietals: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian

Roasting:  Start with a City + (Light-medium) and feel free to try Full City (Medium). Kenyan coffees are famous for their crisp acidity and dark roasting will mute that. However, if you prefer, this coffee may be carried into a Full City Plus and still retain a lot of body and some of it's brightness. This coffee roasts very evenly.

Reminder: This Coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing

Our Review: "Perched high up in the southern foothills of Mount Kenya on rich red volcanic soil, the areas surrounding the Kii factory are ideal for producing some of the finest Kenyan coffee. Farmers in these fertile foothills who typically cultivate around 250 coffee trees on half-acre plots have been delivering cherry to the Kii factory, which is one of 3 factories managed by an umbrella farmers’ cooperative society (FCS) called the Rungeto Farmers’ Cooperative Society. Smaller in size than other FCS, Rungeto has focused on quality processing and meticulous attention to detail, garnering it a reputation for amazing coffee and some of the cleanest and best organized factories in Kenya. At the Kii factory only the ripest cherries are delivered, and additional hand sorting and floating is done to remove less dense and damaged beans before the coffee is depulped, fermented and washed. After the coffee is washed, it’s soaked in fresh water for long periods of time to solidify the hallmark Kenyan profiles. The coffee is dried over a period of two weeks on raised beds, which are carefully constructed to ensure proper air circulation and temperature control for optimal drying. When the coffee is milled for export, the green beans are sorted by screen size and graded according to size and shape. Larger beans (17/18 screen) are labeled AA, 15/16 screen are labeled AB, and the round peaberry are labeled PB." - Royal Coffee

It's been a while since we've had a AA in the warehouse, mostly because we're very picky. Kenya AA's are notoriously pricey and we didn't want to settle for a mediocre offering while charging an arm and a leg for it. The bar was set high for this one and we're pleased to announce that this coffee delivers! It's got metric tons of body, a bright grapefruit and lime front end with a tangy sweetness kinda like a well ripened tomato. This savory feel is underpinned throughout the cup with strong herbal undertones accompanied by notes of cocoa powder and a dash of molasses. All these disparate flavors are balanced surprisingly well and make for a very distinctive and unique cup! Don't let the price scare you, this is one of the best and certainly one of the most unique Kenyan coffees we've had in years.