KENYA
tomato jam
∙ rosehip ∙ blackcurrant
Kii is the best Kenyan we have had this season. Grown on the red volcanic soils surrounding the village Embu in the region of Kirinyaga at the height of 1600 –1800 meters, Kii is the combination of four arabica varieties: SL34, SL28, Ruiru 11 and K7.
K
enya is the home of coffees with intense and complex berry flavours. The country produces 65 000 tons of green coffee a year, 55% of which is grown by the 700 000 small hold farmers. The characteristic Kenyan flavour of coffee is achieved by the special washed process and by blending the two arabica varieties SL28 and SL34, which were originally bred by the Scot Laboratories. While SL34 is known for its excellent drought resistance qualities and its good yield, SL28 is highly appreciated for its delicate and complex Kenyan flavours. Kii mainly consists of SL34 (90%), while SL28, Ruiru 11 and K7 counts for the rest.
processing equipment deliver cherries to their local Cooperative. Most coffees are grown under shade from Gravelia and Muringa Alloevella trees. Many of the farmers are surrounded by several wetmills. They are free to choose where they want to deliver their cherries as members. Due to the traditional auction system in Kenya, quality is rewarded with higher prices. The better factories will then attract more farmers by producing coffee getting the highest prices, as well as giving high payback rate to the farmers. This can in some cases be about 90% of the sales price after cost of marketing and preparation is deducted.
The Kii Factory (wetmill) is one out of three wet mills of the “Rungeto Cooperative Society” in Kirinyaga in Central Kenya. Kirinyaga is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya and together with the neighbouring region Nyeri it’s known for coffees with most intense, complex, and flavor-dense cup profiles world wide. It is made up of mainly smallholder farms, each with some 100 trees. The farmers are organized in Cooperative Societies that act as umbrella organizations for the Factories (wetmills), where the smallholders deliver their coffee cherries for processing.
We instantly fell in love with Kii. It boast the subtle flavours of tomato jam, rosehip and blackcurrant, and a refreshing, sparkling acidity balancing it out.
Kirinyaga has a mix of smallholders and block holders with small to medium farms. The ones that don’t have their own
... To achieve the best taste experience possible use soft water and freshly ground coffee. Let it rest for a week after roasting but consume it within one month. Enjoy! the Casino Mocca team
casinomocca.hu
photo by the Nordic Approach
Kii