Subtext Coffee - Kivanga Estate Washed SL28 & SL34 AA | Kenya

Kenya — Morris Njagi Kivanga Estate SL28 & SL34 (Washed, AA)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackcurrant • 🍇 Raspberry • 🥤 Cola

DETAILS

• Producer: Morris Njagi
• Farm: Kivanga Estate
• Region: Embu, Kenya
• Varietal: SL28 & SL34
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 1,750 masl
• Harvest: Winter '25–'26
• Importer: Quest
• Cupping Score: 87
• Relationship: First year for both Quest and Subtext

INTRO
Kivanga Estate is managed by Morris Njagi in Embu County, Kenya, operating its own factory (washing station). Recognised in the region for high-quality SL28 and SL34 selections, which make up the entirety of this washed lot — with the proliferation of hybrids like Ruiru 11 and Batian across Kenya, pure SL variety lots like this are increasingly rare. In the cup: blackcurrant, raspberry, and cola.

THE PRODUCER
Embu lies on the eastern side of Kenya's Central Highlands. The geography of the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya provides a different growing environment than the western and southern Nyeri and Kirinyaga regions — facing Indian Ocean moisture systems more directly, Embu experiences higher annual rainfall.

SL28 is one of the best-known and highly sought-after varieties in Kenya, originally selected in the 1930s by Scott Laboratories. It's well regarded for high-quality potential, drought resistance, and rusticity — meaning it can survive on its own for years and later be brought back into production. It's also highly susceptible to coffee diseases, which is why single-variety SL lots from Kenya grow rarer each year as farmers rely more on disease-resistant hybrids. SL28 has also made its way to Latin America, most notably Costa Rica.

THE PROCESS
The coffee is hand-picked at peak ripeness, then sorted and floated before pulping. It's fermented in open tanks, thoroughly washed to remove mucilage, and laid to dry on raised beds for 14 to 21 days depending on weather, consistently rotated and hand-sorted throughout to ensure top physical quality.

Rare pure-SL varietal composition is the defining factor here — with most Kenyan lots now blended with disease-resistant hybrids, this cup shows what classic SL28 and SL34 character looks like on its own.

THE CUP
Classic and pure — blackcurrant depth leads, with raspberry brightness through the middle and a cola-like sweetness on the finish.

Flavour Notes
🫐 Blackcurrant 🍇 Raspberry 🥤 Cola