Kenya — Ndwiga Family Nginda Estate Field Blend (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍒 Red Currant • 🌹 Rose Hips • 🌺 Hibiscus

DETAILS

• Producer: Ndwiga Family
• Farm: Nginda Estate
• Region: Embu, Kenya
• Varietal: Field Blend*
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800 masl
• Harvest: December 2025

INTRO SEY's first year working with the Ndwiga Family — a small family farm and neighbour of their exporting partners, Kamavindi, who first presented this delightful sample. Red currant and rose hips lead the cup, with a hibiscus tartness rounding things out. In the cup: red currant, rose hips, and hibiscus.

THE PRODUCER The Ndwiga family farms a small plot in Embu County, on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Little is known about them at this stage — this is the first season working together, with plans to visit Nginda Estate in person and learn more when travel to Kenya resumes in the fall.

THE PROCESS This lot is believed to be a Field Blend* of the main Kenyan SL varieties, though recent genetic testing on other Kenyan farms has begun to challenge long-held assumptions about which varieties are actually being cultivated — an ongoing research question, with updated findings to come as the story develops.

The Washed process involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — cherries harvested at peak ripeness 💧 Floating — floated to remove low-density defects 🌱 Same-day de-pulping — de-pulped on the day of harvest ⏱️ Fermentation — fermented for 36–48 hours ☀️ Raised-bed drying — dried on raised beds until moisture reaches roughly 10%

THE CUP Bright and fruit-forward — red currant and rose hips up front, with a tart hibiscus finish. A promising first look at Nginda Estate, with more to learn as the relationship develops.

Flavour Notes 🍒 Red Currant 🌹 Rose Hips 🌺 Hibiscus