gakuyuini: kenya

A Fully Washed PB lot from Gakuyuini washing station in Kenya. It’s a big, rich & juicy coffee, bursting with black and red berries with a cola-like finish.

The Gakuyuini washing station is run by the Thirikwa Farmers’ Cooperative Society. This co-op is led by 5 elected board members and supports over 1,500 small coffee farmers, including 670+ women. Together, they produce about 250 tons of coffee cherries each year. Many farmers also grow tea, maize, and legumes for extra income or to sell at local markets.

Farmers handpick only the ripest cherries and deliver them to the washing station the same day. At the station, cherries are sorted to remove any under-ripe or damaged ones before being pulped. The pulped cherries are fermented for 12–16 hours, then washed with fresh river water to remove the sticky layer (mucilage). The coffee is dried on raised beds for about two weeks, with regular turning to ensure even drying. Any damaged beans are removed, and the parchment is covered during the hottest parts of the day and overnight to protect it.

FUN FACT:

This coffee is a PB, which stands for peaberry! Normally, a coffee cherry has two beans, but a peaberry is a natural mutation where only one bean forms. Peaberries are smaller, rounder, and denser, often leading to a sweeter flavor and a more even roast (when handled properly).

Since you can’t tell a peaberry just by looking at the cherry, they’re sorted out later during the dry milling process. Special screens with tiny, oblong holes are used to separate these unique beans into their own lot.

FINER DETAILS:

origin: kianyaga, kirinyaga, kenya
produced by: gakuyuini washing station
processing method: fully washed
varietal: sl28, sl34
elevation: 1500-1900m above sea level
roasted for: filter

FILTER SWEET SPOT:

ratio: 1:16  |  time: 3-3.30mins  |  temp: 93°C