Kenya Kiangothe

Kiangothe is a mill within the Kabare Coop -- a group of farmers who run their own farms and aren't under the thumb of the Government. There about 500 famers involved with their own elected board members. They grow on sandy volcanic soil at 5,000 feet altitude, and they grow only the SL-28 and SL-34 varietals which are the two varietals you want for that classic Kenya red wine and blackberry taste. Then this lot is only the largest AA sized beans, sorted out and sold at a premium at auction.

This lot of Kenya is not as intense as the Kigutha that we have for sale. It is a more approachable mug of coffee -- a gateway Kenya for someone who can't yet quite appreciate how different a premium Kenya tastes compared to what they're used to from their everyday mug of Colombia. In this mug you do have the red wine distinct Kenya profile, but it is muted. You also have beautiful floral aroma and tastes (jasmine, bergamout, lavender), but again, they are muted, and not as in-your-face as some Kenyas can be. The bean has pleasant sweetness, clean lingering aftertaste, and mild enough acidity as to not be distracting. Don't get the wrong impression -- this isn't boring coffee -- this is clearly a top lot of Kenya AA. It's just gentle, coaxing you into the world of high end African coffee without scaring you away.

This is a fairly forgiving bean to roast, as you can use a variety of roasting curves and ending temperatures and still get a nice result. Although it does make a nice French Roast, I usually keep this one light. What I try for is slightly more than a City roast, but not quite a Full City roast. This is a coffee with a lot of layers of flavor complexity -- in addition to floral and red wine tastes, we noted flashes of citrus, cranberry, and nectarine. It has some tartness but mostly sweetness. It is a sophisticated Sunday morning sort of coffee. July 2015 Arrival.