Pennine Kenya Peaberry Kagumoini Washed Arabica Green Coffee Beans (1kg) **Christmas Flavours**

Location/Origin	Central Kenya, Karatina Town, Nyeri County
Altitude	1700m – 1800m
Variety	SL28 and 34
Preperation	Washed
Harvest	October – February
Owner / Farm	Mugaga Farmers Coperative Society
SCA Cup score and notes	87 Honeycomb, Rhubarb, Dark Berries, Yellow Plum and Dark Chocolate – soft delicate comforting cup.

 

Kagumoini is a factory / secondary cooperative of the Mugaga Society and is situated on the slopes of the Mount Kenya and Aberdares mountains in the Central Province. It is comprised of around 1000
members.
The region has red volcanic loam soils and good rainfall. SL28 and 34 are grown under shade.
Smallholders also grow tea, maize, beans, bananas and vegetables. Kagumoini Factory has several initiatives aimed at uplifting the living standards of its members and employees. These include: Credit facilities for school fees and medical emergencies, provision of farm inputs on credit and field days to train farmers on better farming methods.
The coffee is handpicked by the smallholder members and delivered to the Kagumoini factory where it is pulped.
This initially separates the dense beans from the immature ‘mbuni’s (floaters) using water floatation which means the denser beans will sink and be sent through channels to the fermentation tank.
This first stage of fermentation will last for around 24 hours, after which the beans are washed and sent to the secondary fermentation tank for another 12-24 hours.
Once the fermentation process is completed, the beans enter the washing channels where floaters are separated further and the dense beans are cleaned of mucilage.
The washed beans will then enter soaking tanks where they can sit under clean water for as long as another 24 hours.
This soaking process allows amino acids and proteins in the cellular structure of each bean to develop which results in higher levels of acidity and complex fruit flavours in the cup – it is thought that this process of soaking contributes to the flavour profiles that Kenyan coffees are so famed for.
The beans are then transferred to the initial drying tables where they are laid in a thin layer to allow around 50% of the moisture to be quickly removed.
This first stage of drying can last around 6 hours before the beans are gathered and laid in thicker layers for the remaining 5-10 days of the drying period.
The dry parchment coffee is then delivered to a private mill and put into ‘bodegas’ to rest – these are raised cells made of chicken wire which allows the coffee to breathe fully