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Kenya AA Karia

Kenya AA Karia (pronounced Charia) is our first new crop auction lot from Kenya this year. In Kenya, a small auction lot is a particular batch of coffee that was separated from other coffee for individual preparation, then sold at auction on its own merits. It is selected for its definitive character, rather than being blended with a large amount of other coffee. This coffee reflects the effort of neighboring smallholders and was processed at the Karia Cooperative or Society and sold under that name. We try to always have a top Kenya auction lot. Two such auction lots garnered 95 and 94 point ratings last year in Coffee Review.

Karia is from the Meru Central region of Kenya. Meru is located on the Kathita River, on the northeast slopes of Mount Kenya. It is situated about five miles north of the equator, at approximately 5,000 feet altitude, in an area of mixed forest and clearings, small towns, villages, and rural farms. and is mainly populated by people of the Meru Tribe.

Meru is an important coffee producing area. It is virtually all smallholder-grown, and much of it shade-grown. Meru's coffee crops come twice a year, corresponding to the two rainy seasons, but the main crop in Meru comes at a somewhat different time than that elsewhere in Kenya, due to different weather patterns on the northeast slopes of Mt. Kenya and the Nyambenene ranges. It is all grown at high-altitudes in the volcanic soils of the district. It is processed by farmers cooperatives which own coffee factories near the farmers.

Cup Characteristics: Vivid new crop coffee with pronounced piquant, citrus notes. Lively, lemony snappiness, lingering aftertaste. Bone dry.

Roasting Notes: City + or just slightly beyond will bring out the delicate highlights and fruitiness of this delicious coffee.


Volume Price
PoundsPrice LB
1$6.37
2-4$6.05
5-19$5.73
20+$5.10
Click to enlarge Kenya AA Karia
 
Click bag for larger view
 

 

Quantity in Basket: none

Quantity in pounds:



Kenya coffee facts:

Population (2006): 34.7 million People
Coffee Production: 880,000 bags (60 kg)
Country bag capacity: 132 pounds - 60 kg
Domestic Consumption: 50,000 bags
Coffee Export: 850,000 bags
Cultivated Area: 127,000 Hectares (314,000 acres)

Harvests: 2 per year
- Main crop October to December
- Fly crop June to August

Arabica Introduced:Introduced from Ethiopia via Yemen at the end of the 19th century, by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit Congregation. Bourbon varietal introduced from Reunion in 1901 by missionaries. Kent varietal introduced early 20th century from the Indies.

Specialty Coffee Regions:North and northeast of Nairobi; high plateaus surrounding Mt. Kenya. Soil is volcanic.

Grades: AA Plus, AA, peaberry

Farms:About 350,000 farms with an average of 0.2 hectares (about 1/2 acre). 8 major preparation cooperatives.

Botanical Varietals:Bourbon, Kent, various hybrids (SL-28, SL-34, Riuru 11), Blue Mountain (from Jamaica).


 


 

Comments

One of the great coffee producers. Coffee accounts for 27% of the country's exports and half of their agricultural output. Shading, by banana trees, is a common practice.

Kenya has a weekly auction system that has been in place for many years. It does not provide transparency of revenues to growers and the system is said to be flawed by a complex web of middlemen. There are allegations of corruption as well. The government is working to develop a more direct model whereby growers can offer their coffees more directly to foreign buyers thus reaping a better price.

 

 
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