GIAKANJA AB

Kenyan terroir: all about berries. Following in the footsteps of our previous releases from Giakanja, this AB lot has a delightful profile full of blackberry flavour. Expect notes of forest fruit with delicate orange blossom and vanilla appearing as it cools.

On the volcanic land between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare mountain range, 1450 small farmers produce coffee for the Giakanja washing station. Nyeri is considered to be one of the best coffee growing regions in Kenya. Farms of the Giakanja Farmers Cooperative are small, averaging between just 250 to 350 trees of the SL28 and SL34 varietals. The high altitudes of the region allows coffee cherries to slowly mature and fully absorb the nutrients of the rich, volcanic soil. With two rainy seasons, the Cooperative benefits from two harvests per year.

Recently, farmers have received agronomic support from our export partners Sucafina Kenya to help maximise the standard of their coffee and the economic sustainability of their farms. With better access to soil quality information through the use of more modern technology and agronomical assistance, both tree health and cherry quality is improved. Farmers can reduce their reliance on additional fertiliser, while still improving yields and delivering the coffee quality that the washing stations prize.

The quality of Kenyan coffee is a result of both farming and processing standards. The cooperative members handpick only the ripest cherries and deliver them to the Giakanja washing station. Here, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only the best cherries that will deliver the desired flavour profile. Our AB lot is a perfect representation of the beautiful terroir.

After sorting at the washing station, cherries are pulped and fermented. The coffee is then washed and laid to dry on raised beds. Workers frequently rake the layers to ensure even drying. They cover the drying parchment during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter the beans from moisture.