Kenya Nyeri Othaya Chinga Microlot AA

Like all good Kenya AA coffees, this coffee stands in a category all its own. Meticulously washed, processed and sorted. Like a good wine, this coffee is effervescent, yet full bodied. Dry and tannic, yet sweet and balanced. Look for notes of white grape, apple, pear and a touch of peach.

Arrival Date: November 12th, 2021

Acidity & Brightness: Effervescent, moderately sweet

Balance & Finish: Great balance, dry, tannic finish 

Body & Texture: Full bodied, silky texture

Flavors: White grape, apple, pear, peach

Grade: AA, grown at 1700-1890 masl

Processing: Fully Washed, fermented underwater for 12-24 hours, washed with clean spring water, soaked for another 12-24 hours, and dried on raised beds

Grower: 661 producers organized around the Chinga Factory

Region: Nyeri County

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

Review: "Othaya Farmers Cooperative Society, the umbrella organization that includes  Chinga  factory has 19 different factories and more than 14,000 farmer members across the southern Nyeri region. The Chinga  factory  was founded in 1960 and is located between the Ruarai and Chinga rivers in far southern Nyeri near the Murang’a county border. Both rivers originate in the Aberdare mountain range, to Nyeri’s west, whose cool air and precipitation is a contributor to Nyeri’s coveted coffee terroir. 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, even for generations of Kenyan processing managers who prefer drinking Kenya’s tea to its coffee. Ample water supply in the central growing regions has historically allowed factories to wash, and wash, and soak, and wash their coffees again entirely with fresh, cold river water. The established milling and sorting by grade, or bean size, is a longstanding tradition and positions Kenya coffees well for roasters, by tightly controlling the physical preparation and creating a diversity of profiles from a single processing batch." - Royal Coffee

Kenyan coffee is a class of its own. Some folks adore it, some don't care for it, yet all coffee lovers agree there's nothing else quite like it in the world. If Kenyan coffee is your bag or you just wanna taste some of the best Kenya has to offer, this coffee is for you. The most common characteristic of Kenyan coffee is the winey, tannic finish and this coffee's got it in spades. I always classify Kenyans the same way I generally classify wines: White, Red and Rose. This one definitely leans towards the white with Riesling notes in the cup. Also like a good Riesling, expect notes of apple, pear and a hint of peach. However, there's an effervescent quality to the front end that almost reminds me of bubbly. Is there a sparkling Riesling? There should be.