Kenya Muranga New Kiriti Gondo AA

This coffee was a fun selection for us; we wanted a super premium Kenyan coffee but with a more unique profile. Super syrupy and jammy with notes of tangy grapefruit and plum followed by silky milk chocolate with an herbaceous undertone.

Arrival Date: June 15th, 2021

Acidity & Brightness: Slightly tangy & jammy

Balance & Finish: Great balance, dry finish 

Body & Texture: Full, rich bodied, syrupy texture

Flavors: Red grapefruit, plum, milk chocolate, herbaceous

Grade: AA

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

Varietals: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 & 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: "Gondo and its sister washing stations are in a unique pocket of Kenya. Western Muranga County runs directly into the upland Aberdare Mountain range on rich red volcanic soil ideal for producing some of Kenya’s best coffees. Muranga is an oblong county that sits between the industrious Kiambu County, to the south, and the most famous coffee counties of Kenya’s central province: Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and Embu, to the north. The Aberdare range contributes significant climate influence over this part of Muranga, keeping the vegetation cooler and well-respirated, the way Mt. Kenya impacts its neighboring regions to the north. The Gondo processing station, or “factory”, as they’re known in Kenya, is one of three sites managed by the New Kiriti Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS), an umbrella organization that centralizes management and marketing relationships for their member factories. Kenya is of course known for some of the most meticulous at-scale processing that can be found anywhere in the world. Bright white parchment, nearly perfectly sorted by density and bulk conditioned at high elevations is the norm and a matter of pride. At Gondo, cherry is hand-sorted for ripeness and floated for density before accepted and depulped each day. After the coffee is washed, it’s soaked in fresh water for long periods of time to stop sugar fermentation and clean the parchment. 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." - Royal Coffee

This coffee was a fun selection for us; we wanted a super premium Kenyan coffee but with a more unique profile. This selection was exactly what we were looking for and even managed to exceed our expectations. I wish we could have gotten more bags of it, but it sold out before it even landed in the US! As stated above, the Muranga region is often overshadowed by the more famous coffee counties to the north, but that's due to the unusual flavor profile, not any corners cut in quality. Kenyan coffee is known for it's exceptional body but this coffee is downright syrupy in texture! Think "fruit jam" and you'll be in the ballpark. There's a delightful red grapefruit and plum tangy-ness on the front end rounded out by sweet milk chocolate and something herbaceous and savory I can't quite put my finger on...oregano? Bergamot? I dunno but it's delicious! The finish is fairly dry though not as tannic as many Kenyan coffees. While I'm reminded of red wine, this coffee doesn't feel "winey". Definitely a must for Kenyan coffee fans and curious connoisseurs of all types!