Kenya — Kieni Cooperative SL28, SL34 & Ruiru 11 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackcurrant • 🍇 Blackberry • 🌿 Rhubarb

DETAILS

• Producer: Kieni Cooperative (~1,000 member farmers)
• Station: Kieni Factory
• Region: Nyeri, Kenya
• Varietal: SL28, SL34 & Ruiru 11
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,600–1,800 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

A long-standing partnership between Coffee Collective and one of Kenya's finest cooperatives — Kieni Factory in Nyeri, consistently among the highest-paying stations in the country. Full-bodied, clean, and deeply sweet, this SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11 blend delivers the bold, high-acidity profile that has made Kenyan coffee so celebrated worldwide. In the cup: blackcurrant, blackberry, and rhubarb.

THE PRODUCER

Kieni is a cooperative factory in Nyeri, Kenya, with around 1,000 member smallholder farmers delivering cherry each harvest. Coffee Collective's relationship with Kieni spans many years — a partnership built on mutual respect, transparency, and a shared commitment to quality. Kieni consistently ranks among Kenya's highest-paying factories, ensuring that the farmers behind each lot receive genuine recognition for their work.

Nyeri sits on the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range, where rich volcanic soils, high altitude, and distinct wet and dry seasons create the ideal conditions for Kenya's celebrated SL varieties. SL28 and SL34 — originally selected by Scott Laboratories in the 1930s for their drought resistance and cup quality — are the backbone of Kenya's specialty identity, producing the bold blackcurrant acidity and full body that define lots like this one. Ruiru 11, developed for disease resistance, rounds out the blend with additional sweetness and structure.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Kieni involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness by member farmers 🔍 Sorting — Careful cherry sorting before processing to ensure consistency 🔧 Pulping — Outer skin removed at the factory 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented in water to break down the mucilage 💧 Channel washing — Thoroughly washed through grading channels ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds to optimal moisture content

The meticulous fermentation and washing is the defining step — Kieni's careful process management brings out the full expression of SL28 and SL34's vibrant acidity and intense berry character while maintaining the clean, structured body that makes this such a consistent and compelling lot.

THE CUP

A classic, full-bodied Kenyan washed coffee from one of Nyeri's most trusted and enduring cooperatives — bold blackcurrant and blackberry acidity beautifully balanced by a clean, sweet body and a tart rhubarb finish. A benchmark expression of what makes Kenyan specialty coffee so distinctive.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Blackcurrant 🍇 Blackberry 🌿 Rhubarb