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Coffee Cycle Roasting
Kenya Ngugu-Ini 250g (Coffee Cycle Roasting Co.)
Kenya Ngugu-Ini 250g (Coffee Cycle Roasting Co.)
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$18.50 USD
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$18.50 USD
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Kenya Gathaithi Peaberry Washed 2023
Roaster: Coffee Cycle Roasting Co.
Processing: Washed
Elevation: 1600 masl
Varieties: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
Region: Kirinyaga
Tasting notes: Plum, hibiscus, sage
Details (from Red Fox Coffee Importers):
Ngugu-Ini factory started in 1958. With 1,200 active members, Ngugu-Ini and the farms that supply it with coffee are in an incredibly rich production area, with an altitude of 1,600 masl and nutrient-rich red volcanic soil. In the washing station, they process the varieties SL34, SL28, Batian and Ruiru 11 that grow here. The processing plant uses water from the Ratagi River. This river is also the main source of water for the population adjacent to it. Producers deliver cherries to the wet mills or collection centers. On arrival, they empty their bags onto sorting stations on the floor, immediately sorting out unripe, overripe, and otherwise defective cherries. After that, they use disc pulping machines to remove the skin and pulp and grade the coffee into 3 density grades. Grades 1 and 2 head separately to the next stage of the process: fermentation. Grade 3 is considered low grade and handled separately. The coffees are dry-fermented in painted concrete tanks, typically for 18-24 hours. When fermentation is complete and the mucilage is dissolved, the parchment gets washed in washing channels and graded again by density. The lighter beans float off and the remaining dense parchment will normally be soaked in clean water for up to 24 hours. After that, drying time varies between 12 and 20 days depending on weather and rainfall. Ngugu-Ini factory is run by a coffee manager who oversees all activities within the factory. The manager and staff distribute the labor of tasks such as weighing coffee, selecting and grading coffee, paying producers and addressing farmer issues as they come up. The affiliate members of the factory carry out all agronomic activities associated with coffee production, sourcing coffee from the Coffee Research Station and planting according to best-practice guidelines. Fieldwork involves weeding, pruning, spraying, applying fertilizer and giving technical advice to farmers. Ngugu-Ini factory dug their wastewater soak pits far from their freshwater source, allowing the wastewater to soak in back to the soil where it won’t acidify the freshwater supply. Kirinyaga Ngugu-Ini Washing Station is located in the central part of Kirinyaga County, in the buffer zone surrounding Mount Kenya National Park. Kirinyaga County is located 2 hours from Kenya's capital, Nairobi. It’s also south of Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano and the second highest snow-capped peak in Africa (5,199 masl), after Kilimanjaro. The presence of this snowy mountain in Kirinyaga (the name of which actually means “White Mountain” in the native Kikuyu language) plays a fundamental role for the population and coffee of the surrounding areas. Its glaciers form the Sagana, Thiba, Nyamindi, Rupinzagi, Rwamuthambi and Ragat rivers, the waters of which are the main source of water for coffee processing. These glacier-fed rivers also help cool the surrounding areas, giving the farms in the county an annual temperature between 13 and 25 C, privileged temperatures compared to other coffee-growing areas in Africa. The Kirinyaga area has a long chain of mountains that help provide a diversity of altitudes and terrain for coffee cultivation. While this could seem like an obstacle to access (as it is in Peru where the presence of Andes means getting to a farm can take 7+ hours by road), in Kirinyaga the farms are only about a 30 minute trail walk (1-2 km) from the washing stations. Only in the rainy season does access become complex as mud makes these unpaved trails challenging to navigate. The entire Kirinyaga county has around 600,000 residents whose main economic pillar is coffee. Farmers also grow tea, macadamia, bananas, corn, and in lower areas many raise cows for milk production. Farms in this region are surrounded by forests of native trees where wild animals such as elephants and buffalos live. Local coffee producers use fences strategically along their farm perimeters to protect their crops and minimize contact with potentially dangerous fauna. The Kenyan government has prohibited logging and hunting in the area and producers are very respectful of these rules. The predominant population of Kirinyaya are the Kikuyu, the oldest native population in the area. Everyone in the area speaks Kikuyu. The farms here are mostly very small (1-2 hectares) and adults work the farms while children attend school all day. Schools here cost money, which unfortunately limits access to education and future opportunities in this mostly-poor area. Due to lack of opportunity, much of the young population is migrating en masse to cities in search of better jobs, leaving their parents alone on the farms or even taking their parents and abandoning their farms. This problem gets worse each year.
Coffee comes in a refillable Coffee Cycle tin. Bring tin back to Coffee Cycle for a discounted refill.
YOUR ORDER WILL BE ROASTED FRESH ON THE MONDAY FOLLOWING YOUR ORDER! COFFEES ARE SHIPPED ASAP AFTER ROASTING TO ENSURE YOU RECEIVE THE FRESHEST POSSIBLE ROAST.
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