Kenya

Kiamugumo is a washing station in the Ngariama community of Kirinyaga County, on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Kirinyaga means “White Mountain” in Kikuyu, the language everyone here speaks. The mountain’s glaciers feed the Kii River, and that river water is what the coffee is washed with.

The coffee comes from smallholders, most farming one or two hectares. They pick ripe cherry and bring it down the trail to the station, often by horse or motorcycle. It’s a short walk for most of them, about 30 minutes, except in the rainy season when the trails turn to mud. Banana, macadamia, and grevillea trees shade the coffee. Elephants and buffalo live in the forest right past the fence line.

At the station, the cherries are depulped, fermented for 12 to 24 hours, washed, and dried on raised beds for 5 to 10 days. Grown around 1,600 meters. Ruiru 11, SL28, and Batian.

In the cup it’s bright and juicy. Tropical citrus up front, brown sugar underneath, and some coconut cream as it cools.