Ilse Coffee - Kainamui AA Washed | Kenya

Kenya — Kainamui Washing Station SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11 & Batian (Washed, AA)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackberry Juice • 🫐 Black Currant • 🍇 Raspberry • 🍊 Orange

DETAILS

• Producer: 2,000 local farmers (New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society)
• Washing Station: Kainamui
• Region: Ngariama, Kirinyaga, Kenya
• Varietal: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11 & Batian
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 1,650 masl
• Harvest: October–December 2025

INTRO One of the favourite Kenyan coffees of the season — ripe fruits and a lively acidity from the Kainamui washing station on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Blackberry juice and black currant lead, with raspberry and orange brightness running throughout. In the cup: blackberry juice, black currant, raspberry, and orange.

THE PRODUCER Kainamui was established in 1963 and is part of the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, located in the Ngariama region of Kirinyaga County at 1,650 masl. Around 2,000 local farmers deliver cherry here, most maintaining very small plots with as little as 200 trees. The station's proximity to Mt. Kenya and a glacier-fed river running through the area creates a cool, ideal environment for coffee production.

THE PROCESS Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and floated to remove defects, then depulped, density-sorted, and dry-fermented for 24 hours. The seeds are washed and fermented again for 12–24 hours, then floated and washed in channels to remove all mucilage, followed by a 24-hour soak in water. Finally, the seeds move to drying beds, where they dry in stages over 10–15 days.

The double fermentation cycle — 24 hours dry, followed by a second 12–24 hour wash fermentation — combined with the 24-hour post-wash soak is the defining step. It's what builds the intense blackberry juice and black currant character alongside the lively acidity that define this cup.

THE CUP Ripe and lively — blackberry juice and black currant up front, with raspberry and orange brightness running throughout. A standout, fruit-driven Kenyan from the cool waters of Mt. Kenya.

Flavour Notes 🫐 Blackberry Juice 🫐 Black Currant 🍇 Raspberry 🍊 Orange