Discover the essence of our Kenya Gicherori AA: A specialty coffee from Kenya for filter

Kenya Gicherori AA is a washed filter coffee with tasting notes of blackberry, plum and caramel. It comes from the Gicherori washing station in Embu, on the foothills of Mount Kenya, where some 1,050 smallholder farmers of the Kibugu Farmers Cooperative Society deliver their cherry on the day it is picked. Sweet and vibrant, with a tea-like finish.

1

Know your coffee's origin

2

The Embu region

3

From cherry to cup

4

How to enjoy this coffee

1. Know your coffee's origin

At OR Coffee Roasters we believe that knowing where your coffee comes from makes every cup more meaningful. On a fence at the Gicherori washing station hang four posters: green, yellow and overripe cherries are crossed out, only the deep red ones get a tick. It is a daily reminder for the roughly 1,050 farmers of the Kibugu Farmers Cooperative Society, who have brought their cherry here since the washing station opened in 1997.

Like most coffee farmers in Kenya, they work small plots and deliver their cherry on the same day it is picked. Coffee Management Services supports the members with training, Good Agricultural Practices seminars and a guide to sustainable farming. That work, and the typical Kenyan cup, is why we chose this lot.

2. The Embu region

Embu lies on the foothills of Mount Kenya, northeast of Nairobi. The area is high, has two rainy seasons a year and rich soil fed by six rivers. Around 80% of households here work in agriculture, and thousands of small producers grow coffee and bring it to cooperatives for processing.

This lot grows at 1,550 metres. It is a mix of the Kenyan varieties SL28, SL34, Batian and Ruiru 11, and it is graded AA: the largest beans of the harvest.

3. From cherry to cup

At the washing station the cherry is pulped the same day, fermented for 24 to 48 hours in open concrete tanks, washed in long channels and soaked under water for another 12 to 72 hours. The parchment then dries slowly on raised beds. This Kenyan way of washing gives a clean, bright cup.

In our roastery we roast this coffee slightly faster to bring out its vibrancy, and give it enough time in the development phase so the berry-like acidity is balanced by a brown sugar sweetness.

4. How to enjoy this coffee

Kenya Gicherori AA is roasted for filter. Brew it with a V60, Chemex or Aeropress to taste the blackberry, plum and caramel: a sweet, vibrant cup with a tea-like finish.

Our V60 recipe: 15 g coffee, coarse grind, and 250 ml water at 89 °C. Bloom with 55 ml. At 45 seconds, pour up to 180 ml. At 1:45, or when about 80% of the water has drained, pour up to 250 ml. Total brew time: under 3 minutes.

Kenya Gicherori AA for filter