Kenya Karimikui AA - Double Washed

We Taste - Passion fruit, golden raisin, coconut-lime

Big, sweet, and bright coffees from Kenya are among our favorites. Very clean from being well sorted and fully washed, Karimikui Coffee Factory's two long soaks with fresh water from the nearby Kii River add a sweetly fermented character while maintaining the famous effervescence that comes in part from phosphorous in the volcanically rich, red clay soil.

Northeast of the capital Nairobi, just south of Mount Kenya National Park, Kirinyaga County is a region we love for its sweet, fruit-forward character. Rung'eto Farmers Cooperative Society brings together almost one thousand farmer-members to produce a AA microlot separation. AA are the largest screen size of Kenya's three grades, representing highly-nourished coffee berries, expressing a profound character.

Light-medium roasting balances what can be a piquant acidity, catalyzing a rich fruit profile of passion fruit, golden raisin, and lime with a core sweetness like dried coconut and brown sugar. Filter brews are excellent, but don't sleep on espresso if you favor a juicy shot.

Roast: Light - Rest 3+ weeks prior to brewing for best results.
Process: Fully Washed - Cherries are sorted before they’re pulped. The parchment is fermented overnight, then washed in tiled channels and graded. The sorted parchment is then dried on raised beds for 8 - 14 days.
Varieties: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian
Elevation: 1,600-1,900 masl
Location: Kirinyaga County, Kenya - Ngariama location, Gichugu division, Kirinyaga East district on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya
Producer: Karimikui Coffee Factory, est. 1968
Farms: ~950 smallholder farmer-members of Rung'eto Farmers Cooperative Society -Farmers in Rung’eto planted their first coffee trees in I953. The co-op is managed by an elected board of seven members, two elected from each factory catchment. Each member represents an electoral zone in the larger Rung’eto sublocation. Currently the co-op has 25 permanent staff members who are headed by a secretary manager. The secretary manager oversees the day-to-day running of the co-op under the supervision of the board. The three wet mills in the co-op, Karimikui, Kii, and Kiangoi, have a combined membership of 2,858 active farmers.
Grades / Certifications: AA (larger seed size), Microlot
Harvest: Oct.-Dec. 2025

Brew Guides
Espresso: 1:2.6 in 26-28 sec.
Filter: 1:17.2
Notes: High density with a lot to give, in body, acidity, and flavor complexity. We recommend longer brew ratios, while grinding coarsely enough to avoid stalling. Higher temps work well. Two weeks off-roast is good; three weeks is even better.