Cassis | Kenya (250g)

Kenya — Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society SL-28, SL-34, Batian & Ruiru 11 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Red Currant • 🌱 Rhubarb • 🍇 Pomegranate

DETAILS

• Producer: Smallholder Members — Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society
• Region: Kirinyaga County, Kenya
• Varietal: SL-28, SL-34, Batian & Ruiru 11
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Roast: Filter
• Size: 250g

INTRO

DAK's second Kenyan release of the 2026 season — a washed field blend from the Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society in Kirinyaga County, on the slopes of Mount Kenya. High in acidity, full in mouthfeel, and exactly what great Kenyan washed coffee should be. The acidity is what carries the fruit and keeps it moving through the cup. In the cup: red currant, rhubarb, and pomegranate.

THE PRODUCER

Rungeto Farmers Cooperative Society is one of Kirinyaga County's best-regarded cooperative societies, operating several factories — including the celebrated Kii — across its membership territory on the fertile volcanic slopes of Mount Kenya. The cooperative manages post-harvest processing, milling, and export for hundreds of smallholder members, each contributing small volumes of cherry to the collective system. This model allows the cooperative to maintain consistent quality standards across the membership while ensuring each farmer benefits from the infrastructure and market access that individual smallholders could not achieve alone.

Kirinyaga is one of Kenya's most historically celebrated growing regions — sandwiched between the foothills of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare mountain range, with rich red volcanic soils, consistent rainfall, and a stable highland climate that consistently produces coffees of high acidity, full body, and complex fruit character. SL-28 and SL-34, developed by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in the 1930s, are the backbone of this lot — responsible for the bold red currant and rhubarb acidity and the pomegranate depth that define it. Batian and Ruiru 11, developed by the Coffee Research Institute of Kenya for disease resistance, round out the blend with additional sweetness and structure.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Rungeto involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe cherries selectively harvested by smallholder members and delivered to the cooperative factory 🔧 Pulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing & soaking — Thoroughly washed and soaked in clean water — a traditional Kenyan step that builds brightness and clarity ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds to optimal moisture content

The post-wash soaking is the defining step — a traditional and distinctive feature of the Kenyan fully washed process that produces the exceptional brightness, juicy mouthfeel, and clean fruit clarity that allow the red currant, rhubarb, and pomegranate character to carry through from first sip to last.

THE CUP

A high-acidity, full-bodied, and vibrantly fruited washed Kenyan from one of Kirinyaga's most respected cooperative societies — red currant and rhubarb acidity with pomegranate depth, in a juicy, full-mouthed cup where the acidity carries the fruit and keeps it moving throughout. Exactly what great Kenyan coffee should be.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Red Currant 🌱 Rhubarb 🍇 Pomegranate