Kenya — Ruera Estate Batian, K7, Ruiru 11 & SL28 Peaberry (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Redcurrant • 🌱 Rhubarb • 🍋 Citrus

DETAILS

• Producer: Ruera Estate
• Region: Kiambu County, Ruiru, Kenya
• Varietal: Batian, K7, Ruiru 11 & SL28 (Peaberry — Lot #031)
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,500 MASL
• Score: 87 SCA
• Roast: Omni

INTRO

A peaberry lot from Ruera Estate in Kiambu County — a large, carefully managed estate of nearly 200 hectares on the rich red volcanic hills outside Ruiru, employing 1,000 people dedicated to meticulous cherry picking and processing. A distinctive blend of four varieties, with the naturally concentrated sweetness and vibrancy of a peaberry separation. In the cup: redcurrant, rhubarb, and citrus.

THE PRODUCER

Ruera Estate stretches across nearly 200 hectares of volcanic hillside in Kiambu County, approximately 15 kilometres from the town of Ruiru in central Kenya. The estate's rich red volcanic soils, stable growing conditions, and elevation of 1,500 MASL create the ideal environment for the country's celebrated domestic varieties to express their signature bright acidity and fruit-forward complexity. One thousand people are employed across the cherry picking and processing operations — a scale that reflects both the estate's significant local importance and the care invested at every stage of production.

This peaberry lot — the naturally occurring single, rounded bean formed when only one seed develops inside the cherry — is separated from the broader harvest as Lot #031, concentrating the sweetness and character of the four contributing varieties into something particularly vivid and expressive. K7 is a variety less commonly seen in specialty separations — a disease-resistant selection developed at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories in the 1930s, now rarely planted but still producing characterful lots from established trees. Alongside SL28, Ruiru 11, and Batian, it contributes to the multi-layered aromatic complexity that defines this lot.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Ruera Estate involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively picked by Ruera's dedicated harvest team 🔧 Pulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing & soaking — Thoroughly washed and soaked — a classic Kenyan step that builds brightness and clarity ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds to optimal moisture content 🔍 Peaberry separation — Screen-sorted to isolate the rounded peaberry beans as Lot #031

The peaberry separation is the defining step — by isolating the naturally concentrated rounded beans into their own lot, Ruera ensures an exceptional consistency and intensity of flavour across the entire batch, producing the vivid redcurrant and citrus brightness and tart rhubarb character that make this lot so immediately compelling.

THE CUP

A vivid, tart, and beautifully expressive washed Kenyan peaberry from one of Kiambu's most substantial and carefully managed estates — redcurrant brightness, rhubarb tartness, and a clean citrus lift in a well-structured cup that works beautifully across any brew method. Kenya at its most vibrant.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Redcurrant 🌱 Rhubarb 🍋 Citrus