Kenya Kiamutuira - Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru11, Batian | Kenya

Kenya — Kiamutuira Washing Station, SL28, SL34, Ruiru11 & Batian (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Lime • 🍇 Red Currant • 🍵 Black Tea • 🍬 Sweet

DETAILS

• Producer: 600 Smallholder Farmers
• Station: Kiamutuira Washing Station
• Cooperative: Mutira Cooperative Society
• Region: Kirinyaga, Kenya
• Varietal: SL28, SL34, Ruiru11, Batian
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,650–1,700 MASL
• Harvest: January 2025
• Size: 200g

INTRO

This is Kenya at its most vivid and refreshing. From the Kiamutuira Washing Station in Kirinyaga — one of Kenya's finest coffee regions — this lot delivers a classic washed Kenyan profile with bright citrus lift, juicy red currant sweetness, and a clean, tea-like finish. Roasted light by The Naughty Dog to preserve the full expressiveness of the station's SL28, SL34, Ruiru11, and Batian varieties, it is beautifully suited to filter brewing but holds its character as a bright, lively espresso too.

Kiamutuira Washing Station has been a cornerstone of Kenyan specialty coffee since 1996, operating as part of the Mutira Cooperative Society. Its majority-female membership and deep community investment make this more than just an outstanding cup — it is a story of solidarity and craft.

THE PRODUCER

Established in 1996, the Kiamutuira Washing Station serves around 600 smallholder farmers in the Kirinyaga region, most cultivating plots of just 0.1 hectares. The station is part of the Mutira Cooperative Society, which has supported Kenyan coffee farmers since 1951. Kiamutuira is particularly notable for its predominantly female membership — a source of genuine pride and community identity.

The land is exceptional: volcanic loam soil at high altitude, shaded by macadamia trees, with a temperate climate and around 1,150mm of annual rainfall. These conditions encourage slow cherry ripening, concentrating the sweetness and structural complexity that Kenyan coffees are celebrated for worldwide. SL28 and SL34 bring intense fruit and acidity, Ruiru11 adds disease resistance and body, while Batian contributes added depth and refinement to the blend of varieties in the station's lots.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Kiamutuira involves:

• 🍒 Hand-picking — Only fully ripe, red cherries are selected at harvest
• 🔧 Pulping — Cherries are mechanically depulped the same day
• 💧 Fermentation — Beans ferment in water tanks to break down remaining mucilage
• 💧 Channel washing — Thorough washing removes all fermentation residue, producing extreme cup clarity
• ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Beans dry on African raised beds under the Kenyan sun
• ✅ Grading & milling — Lots are graded for uniform quality before export

The result is a brilliantly clean cup that lets Kirinyaga's terroir express itself without interference — the lime brightness, red currant depth, and black tea elegance all singing clearly.

THE CUP

Sweet and sparkling, with a higher acidity that is bright rather than sharp. Lime zest opens the cup with energy, before juicy red currant sweetness builds through the mid-palate. The finish is clean and tea-like — black tea with a hint of sugar — making it endlessly drinkable. A textbook washed Kenya in the finest sense.

Flavour Notes

• 🍋 Lime
• 🍇 Red Currant
• 🍵 Black Tea
• 🍬 Sweet