Dear subscriber,
This month, I have selected three intense and fruity coffees for you to enjoy for the rest of the summer. All of them are excellent served hot, but they can also be enjoyed cold as iced coffees.
I hope you enjoy them!
Gachatha (1st & 4th bag)
I have visited the Gachatha wet mill several times and, even though it looks like most wet mills do in Nyeri, it has proven to be one of the best producers of high-quality coffees in the area over many years, at least in my opinion. Although the wet mill mainly takes care of the processing and drying of the coffees delivered by its members and farmers, a well-run wet mill is fundamental to producing high-quality coffee year after year.
Apart from processing and drying the coffees well, the co-operative provides extensive training for its farmers. There is even a small demonstration plot at the wet mill where members receive training in good agricultural practices. The co-operative also grows seedlings of both coffee trees and shade trees, which are distributed to its members.
Although most members are still growing the traditional SL28 and SL34 cultivars, we know they have been planting the new hybrid cultivars Ruiru 11 and, more recently, a significant amount of Batian. Despite this, the coffee from Gachatha has the recognisable, intensely fruity flavours you can expect from the traditional SL cultivars.
Ngerwe (2nd & 5th bag)
This is the first time we have bought coffee from Ngerwe, a wet mill located in Embu on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Ngerwe is a wet mill under the Kibugu Co-operative Society, which operates five wet mills in total.
The management team of the co-operative estimates that about 80% of the coffee trees in the region are the SL28 cultivar, with the remaining 20% being a mix of Batian and Ruiru 11. However, these figures are constantly changing, as most new plantations are being planted with the new hybrid cultivars.
When I tasted this coffee during my visit to Kenya in February, I found it had a good intensity of the classic Kenyan flavours, such as blackberry and blackcurrant, that are commonly found in the SL28 cultivar. I simply could not resist buying it, and I am glad I did, as it is starting to open up now and is tasting really intense and fruity at the moment.
Finca El Puente Field Blend (3rd & 6th bag)
This is a field blend from a new farm that Marysabel and Moises acquired a few years ago. Moises decided to carry out a little experiment on this farm and simply planted Geisha, Catuai, Batian and SL28 in the same plot to see if he could improve the quality of the coffee.
I have tasted this coffee for three years now, and each year it has been among the best coffees that Marysabel and Moises produce. Similar to their Geisha coffee, this lot has pronounced floral flavour notes of jasmine and violets. In addition, I get intense citrus notes with undertones of ripe red berries.
A really complex and intense washed coffee.
