Specialty Coffee from Kenya this season might be the best they've been in recent memory!

Kirinyaga is located in central Kenya which is home to the second highest mountain peak in the country, Mount Kenya. 

The surrounding soil composition in Kirinyaga is a mix of volcanic clay and silty loam which delivers a highly nutrient dense environment to the coffee trees that are planted here. 

Kirinyaga measures some of the highest levels of calcium and magnesium in the country and it’s no wonder that small holder farmers here are finding success in the quality of their fruit. 

Some of the first recorded commercially planted coffee trees here are from as far back as 1953. This particular Kirinyaga co-op has three wet mills: Kii, Karimikui, and Kiangoi. 

This year at Maker we have chosen to represent the extraordinary efforts of the Karimikui producer group, where specific day lots were chosen and blended to combine in the final product. 

If we could choose a certain style of washed Kenyan coffee to drink, where the incredible purity and clarity shines in each cup, this would undoubtedly be it. 

There is an unmistakable tension between the pristine sweetness and subtle tart-like quality to this coffee, reminiscent of rhubarb, blood orange and blackcurrant.