Kenyan coffee has made a name for itself  for its vibrant acidity and clarity of cup, but this Natural Anaerobic lot from the Kisii region pushes those boundaries. By applying experimental processing to the classic SL28 and SL34 cultivars, this coffee balances the origin's famous intensity with a unique, jammy depth that makes it truly stand out.

This lot comes from the Kisii region of Narok, in western Kenya. Farmed on volcanic soil, and benefitting from reliable rainfall and relatively cool temperature, these conditions are ideal to promote the slow growth of coffee cherries, helping them develop an intense sweetness and complexity. The cherries themselves are the classic Kenyan cultivars, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian. The SL’s have become synonymous with Kenya’s flavour profile, though they were only introduced almost 100 years ago to combat the exact same issues of diseases and low yields that the other two cultivars, Ruiru 11 and Batian, are now being introduced to negate.

While the region does have good levels of rainfall, that rain is a valuable commodity, too valuable to use for washing a lot like this. These lots are processed naturally instead. The cherries are spread out on drying beds to slowly dry, drawing the sugars out of the cherry and into the bean. This helps enhance the flavour profile, bringing a fruity, wine-like body to the coffee.

When brewing an espresso, we find full notes of cherry, sweet notes like strawberry jam, and a light sparkling malic acidity, almost like you would find in green apples. We also recommend brewing a slightly longer shot than normal, that means more mls, not more seconds. We find it helps to balance out those fruits and acids, and makes it easier to pick out those flavours.