Kirinyaga is one of the most famous coffee-growing regions in Kenya, and the Kamwangi co-operative has been producing excellent coffee for years. Situated in the Central Highlands, between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare mountain rage, it’s home to about 1,500 smallholder farmers, who grow SL28, Ruiru-11 and Batian. It’s a classic fully washed coffee, bright, zingy coffee, archetypal of our favourite Kenyans.
Bordering Kirinyaga county to the west, Embu is one of Kenya’s traditional coffee growing regions. Agriculture represents the largest sector of the local economy, with specialty coffee playing a significant role as a cash crop alongside tea and macadamia nuts.
This is perfectly suited to filter brewing, so dig out your V60, Chemex, or fire up the batch brewer, and expect a delicious onslaught of blackcurrant, vanilla creaminess and some lime zest. In cafetière and mokapot, you’ll still get plenty of the fruit, but some more caramels will come out, and in espresso, if you nail it, there’s a lovely blackberry tart-like flavour to be found. For Kenyans, we often recommend to reduce the dose in a little, as they can be so intense, so for filter brewing, dial down to 55g per litre of water, and for espresso, lower your dose and/or lengthen your shot. The extra dilution displays all of the goodness.
