About this coffee

This fully washed Peaberry lot is from from Gulmarg Estate in Kiambu, Kenya. Gulmarg is a 145ha coffee farm first established by British colonists but is now one of 6 estates owned and operated by Sasini, a publicly listed company with a majority Kenyan ownership.

Sasini’s estates have long placed an emphasis on equity and community. In the case of the estates’ workers this involves the provision of living quarters, early child education, union membership and guaranteed payment above minimum wage. In collaboration with Olam Specialty and over 30 of our customers, they have also been able to invest further in the local primary school Njenga Karume. This has principally been through the building of a new computer lab to equip students with the IT skillset to maximise their oppotunities in an increasingly digital world.

The region

Kiambu county is located just outside of Nairobi city. The region has a long history of coffee production and is famous for its large estates, which were originally established by British colonists in the early 20th century.

After decolonisation the estates were sold to local Kenyans who have been managing them since. While estates such as this used to produce the majority of Kenyan coffee, the increased urban sprawl from Nairobi, as well as the increasing land value in the region has meant that estate coffee production has gradually diminished, while smallholder production elsewhere has increased. Nevertheless, estates such as these continue a legacy of many generations of coffee production, supported by unparalleled local knowledge and experience.

Kiambu has all the ingredients for arabica coffee to flourish: it is close to the equator, has iron rich, semi-volcanic soils, abundant sunshine and consistently high altitudes up to 2,000masl. The cool night time temperatures in these fertile highlands allows cherries to mature slowly, developing the acidity and complexity in the final cup.

The process

This lot employs a traditional Kenyan fully washed process. This processing regimen is seen throughout Kenya’s specialty coffee regions and is supported by many generations of shared knowledge and skill.

Selected cherries are pre-graded and then de-pulped. The pulped coffee is then fermented for 12 – 48 hours in water tanks to breakdown the remaining mucilage on the bean. After fermentation the coffee, still in its husk (parchment) is washed in clean water grading channels. This series of declining channels allows the heaviest, densest beans to sink. These are processed separately as they represent the highest quality beans. After washing the parchment is soaked in clean water and then dried in the sun on raised African beds for 2-3 weeks where it is periodically turned and covered to protect against moisture or the heat of the midday sun.