Kevote AA - Kenya - Batian, SL28, & Ruiru 11 - Washed
More Kenyan coffee! This is a zesty and citric coffee from smallholder farmers on the slopes of Mount Kenya, processed at the Kevote factory. The Kevote factory is located in the volcanic region of Makengi, Embu County. The soils here give the coffee it's vibrant energy while the Batian-majority gives this lot a tropical, citrusy backbone. Expect notes of grapefruit, apple, and mandarin.
Info
Factory
Kevote Factory is owned and operated by Kirurumwe Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS) and is well known for producing high quality coffee.
Region
The 1300 small-holder farmers grow coffee and other food crops in the town of Embu in South Eastern Kenya.
Cupping Score
This citric, juicy coffee scores between 87-88 points.
Elevation
The region lies on the southeastern side of Mount Kenya and is host to high elevations, up to 1900 masl, on volcanic soils.
Variety
This lot is made up of Batian, SL28 and Ruiru 11.
Process
The Kevote factory uses Kenya's 'double washed' method which involves pulping, fermenting in mucillage, washing, a secondary 'soaking', and finally drying on raised African beds.
Kevote
"The Kevote factory is well known for producing some of the best coffee in Kenya."
The reputation of the Kevote factory has been built by the strict standards and meticulous protocols of it's management. Smallholder farmers who deliver cherry to Kevote selectively handpick ripe cherries and deliver them to the factory, where the cherries are presorted. Only fully ripe cherry is pulped and coffee is then fermented for approximately 12 to 16 hours and closely monitored. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water, 'soaked', and dried on raised beds for 7 to 14 days until it reaches the desired moisture level. To ensure even drying, workers frequently rake the parchment and use subsequent shade and cover the coffee in the hottest parts of the day.
Kirurumwe FCS
"The Kirurumwe Farmers Cooperative Society represents 1,300 small scale farmers, who all culitvate coffee on small plots under 0.5 hectares on average.".
Kirurumwe own and run 3 factories in in Makengi, Embu County, and process and sell about 25% of all the coffee produced by smallholder farmers in the region. They provide financing to those who require financial assistance before the harvest is complete and provide support for are a number of challenges, including lack of access to enough loan facilities and high costs of agricultural inputs.
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