Embu & Nyeri

The world-famous coffee-growing region of Nyeri sits on the South-Western slopes of Mount Kenya and derives its name from the Masaai word for red - Nyiro - in reference to the region's red volcanic soil.

Embu lies on the Eastern side of Kenya's Central Highlands. The geography of the Eastern slopes of Mount Kenya provide a different growing evironment than the Western and Southern Nyeri and Kirinyaga. Facing Indian Ocean moisture systems more directly, Embu experiences higher annual rainfall.

SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

​​SL-28 is one of the best-known and highly sought-after varieties in Kenya. It was originally selected in the 1930s by Scott Laboratories. It is well regarded for its high-quality potential, its resistance to drought as well as its rusticity, meaning that it can survive on its own for years and later be brought back into production. Unfortunately, it is highly susceptible to coffee diseases. As such, we see less and less single variety SL from Kenya year after year as farmers naturally choose to rely more on disease-resistant hybrids. At the same time, SL-28 it has made its way to Latin America, most notably Costa Rica.

Washed

The coffee is hand-picked, ensuring only ripe red cherries are delivered to each factory. Pulping takes place in the evening after sorting and floating are completed. The coffee undergoes a double fermentation: an initial 20 hours of dry fermentation, followed by an intermediate wash to remove mucilage, then another 20 to 24 hours in fermentation tanks before the final washing and grading. The parchment is dried on raised beds for 14 to 21 days, depending on weather.