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You are here:  Home > Green Coffee > Africa & Arabia

Kenya AA Kagumoini

Arrived late Sept 2009 and moved to Grainpro bags for ideal storage conditions. Kenya AA Kagumoini is a specially selected small auction lot of coffee we purchased while the coffee was still in Kenya, then had it imported on our behalf. This coffee was grown at elevations ranging from 5600 to 5900 feet in the Nyeri District, Central highlands, in rich, volcanic, sandy soil. Varietals are Bourbon types SL34 and SL28. The beans are typical Bourbon round style, bluish green in color.

Washed processing took place at the Kagumo coffee factory which nearly straddles the equator; it's located about 15 miles from the nearest town of Karatina. Washing is done with fresh water from nearby Riuru springs. Sun drying on raised African beds follows. The word Kagumoini means 'fig tree' in the Kikuyu language, because figs were commonly found in this fertile and highly productive terrain.

We had a big cupping of Estate and auction lot Kenyas in early summer after the crop became available. This coffee, our top pick, was still in Kenya when purchased so a couple of months passed before it arrived here.

This is a coffee with a lot of personality, and we mean in the best way. It has complex fruit that jumps out at you before the grounds have met with water. Once brewed it is a real exotic, lush cup with layers of succulent, juicy black fruit. Bob and I both scored this coffee 92.5 points and it was part of heady group. The second place coffee Kenya AA Kiru, which we also purchased, was given 93 points by Coffee Review a few months ago. However, this coffee was not yet in the US nor available for review at the time.

Cup Characteristics: Kenya coffee that makes a bold statement with tons of lush, dark fruits. Succulent, jammy, viscous, brothy.

Roasting Notes: You will want to get well beyond first crack but this coffee should be stopped before second crack really gets rolling, preferably at the first hint of it. The zone is City+ to Full City, to preserve the delicate and most interesting aspects of this unusual and fine coffee.


Volume Price
PoundsPrice LB
1$6.74
2-4$6.40
5-19$6.07
20+$5.39
Click to enlarge Kenya AA Kagumoini
 
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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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