Kenya Gikirima AA

Gikirima AA is produced by smallholder members of the Kibugu Farmers’ Cooperative Society and processed at Gikirima Factory, a wet mill in Gicherori, Embu County, on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. The factory receives freshly picked coffee cherry from roughly 1,050–1,200 local producers, most of whom cultivate small garden plots of less than 1 hectare. Farms in this area sit at approximately 1,800–2,000 metres above sea level, where the cool conditions support slower cherry maturation.
Producers commonly grow traditional Kenyan cultivars including SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11, with harvests in Central Kenya typically falling across the early crop and main crop periods. At the factory, cherry is sorted, pulped, fermented, washed, and dried on raised beds as part of Kenya’s classic washed-processing tradition. Gikirima is also noted by green coffee suppliers for wastewater management through soak pits and attention to conserving local trees and habitat around the station.

KENYA WASHED PROCESS:
After the coffee cherries have been picked, the cherries are depulped (skin removed) or demucilaged (skin and pulp removed).
The coffees are typically then held in “fermentation tanks” for 24 hours, allowing for a gentle controlled fermentation to cause any remaining pulp to separate from the beans. Fermentation may occur from the moment of harvest until the seeds reach an inhospitable moisture content for them (11% moisture).
After 24-hours, coffee is agitated thoroughly, then fermented a second 24-hours.
After this second day, the fermented water and remaining coffee pulp on the bean are washed off with clean water and soaked again overnight. This step is thought to encourage the coffee bean to germinate again, which contributes to extra sweetness and complexity.
The beans are finally dried for up to 21 days on raised beds until the ideal moisture content is reached.
Typically washed coffees have clean, articulate flavors; caramel or sugary sweetness; a wide spectrum of fruit acidity depending on other factors; capable of bright, crisp notes.

SL28 is among the most well-known and well-regarded varieties of Africa. It has consequently spread from Kenya, where it was originally selected in the 1930s, to other parts of Africa (it is important in Arabica-growing regions of Uganda, in particular) and now to Latin America. The variety is suited for medium to high altitudes and shows resistance to drought, but is susceptible to the major diseases of coffee. SL28 is notable for its rusticity—a quality meaning that it can be left untended for years or even decades at a time, and then return to successful production. There are SL28 trees in many parts of Kenya that are 60-80 years old and still productive

For Filter brewing we recommend using a 1:17 ratio of ground coffee to water. Brew temperature for most of our coffees around 90c. This coffee in particular is quite soluble and benefits from a longer rest time before brewing and cooler temps.
If you find a dryness or astringency in the finish, try grinding coarser and lowering the brew temp= a faster extraction.

For espresso try a 1:2.5 ratio. We are brewing on our Decent espresso machines around 88c and aiming for a 30 second extraction. This coffee smells amazing when ground and balancing the acidity levels is the challenge.