Gachatha Christmas Edition – Washed Kenya

Producers: Several Smallholder Farmers
Cultivar: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 & Batian
Process: Washed
Region: Nyeri, Kenya
Country: Kenya
Harvest: December 2024
Roast Profile: Light Roast
Contents: Whole Coffee Beans
Bag Size: 250g

Tasting Notes: 🫐 Blackcurrants · 🍇 Blackberries · 🍞 Raisins

From the fertile volcanic soils of Nyeri, this classic Kenyan lot bursts with juicy blackcurrant brightness, deep blackberry sweetness, and a raisin-like finish that’s both rich and refined. Grown by several smallholder farmers in one of Kenya’s most celebrated coffee regions, this coffee captures the vibrant acidity and complexity that define the country’s best washed coffees.

Processing Details

• Picking & Sorting: The cherries are hand-picked by farmers and their families, then sorted by hand at the wet mill to separate ripe cherries from underripes and defects.

• De-pulping, Fermenting & Washing: The cherries are de-pulped using traditional Aagard disc de-pulpers, which sort by density using water and gravity. The parchment coffee, still coated in mucilage, undergoes a 12–16 hour dry fermentation overnight in separate tanks based on quality grade. The beans are then thoroughly washed in clean water and re-graded by density.

• Drying: The coffee is dried slowly on raised African beds for 10–14 days. During the day, the parchment is raked frequently for even drying and shaded during intense sun to prevent overheating. At night, it is covered to avoid condensation. The drying process concludes when the moisture content reaches 10–12%.

• Conditioning & Export: After drying, the coffee rests in conditioning bins before milling. All export lots are vacuum-packed to preserve their bright, aromatic character on their journey abroad.

This washed Nyeri AA is a stunning example of Kenyan terroir — clean, structured, and intensely fruity, with sparkling acidity, layered sweetness, and a long, elegant finish.

A note from Tim

I have visited the Gachatha wet mill several times and even though it looks like most wet mills do in Nyeri, it has proven to be one of the best producers of high quality coffees in the area over many years. At least in my opinion.   Although the wet mill mainly takes care of the processing and drying of the coffees that are delivered by it's members / farmers,  a well run wet-mill is fundamental in order to be able to produce high quality coffee year after year. Apart from processing and drying the coffees well, the co-operative provides extensive training to their farmers. There is  even a small demonstration plot at the wet mill where the members receive training in good agricultural practices. The co-operative also grow seedlings of both coffee trees and shade trees that are distributed to their members.

Although most members are still growing the traditional SL28 and SL34 cultivars, we know that they have been planting the new hybrid cultivars Ruiru 11 and a lot of Batian in the recent years. Still the coffee from Gachatha has the recognisable intense fruity flavours you can expect from the traditional SL-cultivars.

This lot from the 2024/2025 harvest was among the best I tasted in Kenya while I was there to purchase coffees in February. Expect very intense fruity flavours ranging from ripe blackberries, blackcurrants, raisins to rhubarb and sometimes even raspberries. I love drinking this refreshing Kenyan coffee after heavy Christmas dinners.

As always I don’t really have any particular criteria for selecting Christmas edition coffees other than that the coffee itself needs to be among the best we have in stock. There is no secret that everyone in our team love a great Kenyan coffee, myself included.  As this was one of  the best lots that we bought from Kenya this year I believe it makes a perfect coffee for the holidays and also a a nice gift to someone who loves coffee.