{"product_id":"kenya-kerugoya-aa-026","title":"Kenya - Kerugoya AA #026","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe're coming to the final few releases of our 25\/26 Kenyan selection and what a good year it's been. We're stoked to be finding coffees that remind us of the real classic Kenyan profile, and we're leaning into it. A second Factory from the Inoi FCS, Kerugoya is close to Kaguyu (and many smallholders will deliver cherry to both sites), we've found excellent quality from both, so chapeau to Inoi - both in processing consistency, as well as the agronomic support they provide the farmers in the co-op.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c!--split--\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBrew Guide:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBest Brewed with: Filter\/Turbo Espresso\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLightest Roaster Influence: We've initially profiled this very light, aromatic and acid forward with the typical hot and fast slam of heat \u0026amp; snappy roast for the dense AA beans. At the time of writing we're considering pushing the development (the final and most important roast phase) a little bit - not enough tip into what we'd call \"light roaster influence\"\" but to emphasise some of the more hefty fruit notes we know this green contains. We'll slowly tweak the profile through production to find what we enjoy most :)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBest Rested: 4+ weeks\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFilter: 62g\/L, 94°C when fresh; 92°C when rested\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEspresso: 18g\/45g\/24-28s\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe're tasting: Such a classic Kenya - we find aromatics of blackcurrant cordial, brown sugar and fresh tomato vine. In the cup it's all blackcurrant while hot - much like warm Ribena, with a really rich + sweet + bright meaty backbone that reminds us of ripe Costoluto Genovese tomato, with blackberry jam and hibiscus as the secondary notes. As it cools becoming a little brighter and zippier, like rhubarb soda, with a hint of rose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTraceability\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eCountry of Origin:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKenya\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eRegion:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKerugoya, Kirinyaga Central Sub-County, Kirinyaga County\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eProducer:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e480 Smallholders in the Inoi Farmers Cooperative Society (although Kaguyu and Kerugoya have overlap, so potentially up to 1000 smallholders in the catchment area) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eFarm:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKerugoya Factory\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eVariety:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSL-28 \u0026amp; SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eElevation:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1650 - 1900 MASL\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eProcess:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTraditional Washed: Ripe cherries picked and delivered to Kerugoya Factory, with pre-selection and sorting before pulping. During pulping, coffee is density sorted down channels into holding tanks. The pulped parchment is fermented underwater before washing with clean water down grading channels, which use gravity to sort by density. The parchment is then soaked again in clean water for a short period prior to drying on raised beds, with plastic shading used during the hottest parts of the day to reduce temperature damage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eImport Partner:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNordic Approach\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #000;\"\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 47.4729%; white-space: nowrap; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 style=\"margin: 0;\"\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-image: initial; vertical-align: middle; width: 52.1661%; border: medium none currentcolor;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCrop 25\/26 - Arrived UK: 07 Jul 2026. New Purchasing Relationship\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe Story\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA vast majority of Kenyan coffee is produced by \"Farmer's Co-operative Societies\" (FCS). Due to the frequently small farm sizes (with the exception of larger estates) each individual farm does not have the capacity to process and dry their coffee as you might see in places in Latin America. The FCS structure allows smallholder farmers to pool their resources - both to improve quality, gain international market access, and act as a central legal entity for export paperwork and tax purposes. The FCS will set up and operate wet mills - known as factories in Kenya - that smallholders can deliver cherry to and be paid from the FCS funds on receipt, with central quality control.  Typically farmers then receive a secondary \"quality\" payment some months later once the coffee has been milled, graded, sold and exported - and so consistent quality, achieving high demand and achieving high prices for the pooled lots benefits all farmers who are part of the society. Outside of harvest, FCS can often act as a financial help to farmers - acting as a credit line for agronomic support, distributing seedlings (often Ruiru\/Batian - hardier developed cultivars that are less disease prone than the legendary SLs), as well as training in good farming practices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInoi FCS has its headquarters in the town of Kerugoya, in the Inoi ward of Kirinyaga, sitting roughly 1500 MASL  on the southern slopes of Mt Kenya. Kirinyaga, and neighbouring Nyeri and Embu are legendary regions for classic Kenyan production - the volcanic nitisol soils, mixture of varieties grown and the protocols of of the factories themselves when it comes to washed coffee production all combine to something more than the sum of its parts - that magical deep berry forward, bright + savoury + rich cup profile that we love in Kenya. There was a few years where Kenyan quality - from the outside - really seemed to dip, as the government overhauled the buying and milling process to try and dislodge price fixing cartels and improve payments to farmers, to a greater or lesser success depending on who you ask and what their biases in that particular thorny issue might be. It seems many of the quality related impacts seem to have been worked out since then, as we've seen several stunning main crops in a row (perhaps we've been unlucky with the fly crop samples we've seen - Kenya is blessed with two harvests a year, one of the few countries to consistently get this).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we research the Inoi FCS, we find a story that it's tricky to handle correctly from a roaster's perspective - because these issues exist no matter where you are on the value chain. The broad strokes is of a famed, well established co-op on a new ascendence - growing well, producing excellent quality, adding new members and operating more factories. The tricky bit comes from the fact it's a new ascendence, and had we been writing this a few years ago the co-op was at a nadir - per reporting in the local paper \"The Star\" the co-op struggled with financial mismanagement and debts, had shrunk in numbers considerable and many factories had close. Having disbanded the management board, under new leadership over the last 5 years the co-op seem to be absolutely smashing it again and as we mentioned in the Kaguyu release, we're certain to keep featuring their coffees as mainstays of our Kenyan selections moving forwards.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Scenery Coffee","offers":[{"title":"200g Wholebean","offer_id":57545932767612,"sku":"KRGY200","price":16.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"500g Wholebean","offer_id":57545932800380,"sku":"KRGY500","price":37.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/1961\/7334\/files\/kenya_kerugoya_aa_026_shopify.png?v=1791032693","url":"https:\/\/scenery.coffee\/products\/kenya-kerugoya-aa-026","provider":"Scenery Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}