Kenya Kieni AB
Stone Fruit, Brown Sugar, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Black Tea
We like our Kenyan coffees to pack intense flavours, and this washed lot has it in spades. Grown in the red volcanic soils of Kenya’s Central Highlands and processed with meticulous care at the Kieni washing station, it shows exactly why Kenyan coffee still sets the gold standard. It's a clean cup that is vibrant without being pushy, and sweet without being too syrupy.
This coffee has so much to offer: distinct stone fruits and lemon notes upfront, complexity of blackcurrants and brown sugar sweetness, and a long tea like finish.
Kieni is a complex and clean cup as filter, and jammy and decadent on espresso.
Brews Calling
Ratio: 1:2
Dose*: 22g
Yield: 44-46g
Time: 28-32s
*If your basket size differs from our recommendations, please use the ratio to work out your custom recipe & play around with your grind setting to achieve a steady pour time.
Owner
Country
Region
Altitude
Process
Mugaga Farmers’ Cooperative Society
Kenya
Nyeri
1,650 - 1,850m
Fully Washed
Body
Acidity
Sweetness
Roast Degree
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This celebrated lot comes from the Kieni factory (the Kenyan term for washing station), located in the highly regarded region of Nyeri in the country’s Central Highlands. Around 1,000 local growers deliver their cherries to Kieni run by the Mugaga Farmers Cooperative Society Cooperative. Thanks to their efforts, Kieni remains one of Kenya’s highest-paying factories, supporting small landowners and female growers.
More than 600,000 smallholders farming on fewer than 5 acres compose 99% of the coffee growing population of Kenya. Their farms cover more than 75% of total coffee growing land and produce nearly 70% of the country’s coffee. Farmers have farms with 200 trees on average intercropped with bananas, tea and legumes, an unique practice supporting biodiversity and soil health.
The region’s SL28 and SL34 varieties produce the bold, high-acidity profiles Kenya is known for. Using meticulous washing and fermentation, Kieni consistently delivers top-quality AA and AB coffees. The ‘AB’ grade comes from the Kenyan coffee bean size grading (Kieni being between 6-7mm), which helps to ensure consistent processing and roasting.
Ripe cherries are delivered to Kieni and handsorted, then pulped using a disc pulper. After being fermented for 16 to 24 hours they go through grading channels to wash and remove any remaining mucilage. The parchment is then soaked and laid on raised beds to dry between 5 - 21 days depending on the weather. The double fermentation process amplifies its clarity and juiciness, bringing out intense blackcurrant notes, balanced by a crisp acidity and a lingering sweetness. The sparkling acidity is also typical for Nyeri region and provides a beautiful balance in the cup.
