Kayu

The Kayu Coffee Factory is located in the Central Province of Murang’a County’s Rwatha subregion, about 2 hours northeast of Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. This area is rich with volcanic red soil and experiences a biennial production cycle with an early harvest from March through May and later second harvest from October through December, from which this particular lot is from. Over 1,000 individual producers, each with an average farm size of just 1-2 hectares (about 2.5-5 acres) deliver their harvests to the factory to undergo processing. Coffee is first pulped and placed in fermentation tanks for 16-18 hours. The following day it is washed, soaked, and spread on drying tables where it receives frequent turning and sorting for 13-14 days until fully dried and ready for milling. 

This is our first Kenya release of the season and what is of particular interest with this lot is that it is comprised of 100% Ruiru 11, a composite variety made up of Catimor and SL28, K7 and Rume Sudan, among others. While Ruiru 11 was developed as a high yeild, disease-resistant cultivar, we actually find this selection presents a classic Kenya flavor profile: tart red fruits and a black-tea like complexity with a syrupy sweet finish. 

Orders placed Monday - Thursday by 9am will be roasted and shipped the same day. Orders placed after our daily or weekly cutoff will be roasted the next scheduled production day. All online orders are shipped within 24 hours of roasting.