We keep 🎶 blessing the rains down in Africa 🎶 with this classic Kenyan coffee, full of shine and stonefruit/berry/citric goodness.
The Riakiberu Coffee Factory was established in 1994 and now serves over 1500 members under the umbrella of the Kamacharia Farmers Cooperative Society. As it’s typical in Kenya and other neighbouring countries, those members have the rights to harvest a small parcel of land with coffee trees. They bring the cherries to the cooperative or ‘coffee factory’, where they are mixed and processed together with the rest of smallholders.
This region, located between the Murang'a and Nyeri Counties, is indeed blessed with rains, moderate temperatures (16-26°C), medium altitude (1,200-1,650masl) and rich volcanic soil. The combination allows for the infusion of all the mineral and organic goodness, boosting the high acidity and fruitiness characteristic of Kenyan coffees.
There are two harvest seasons yearly, one from March to May, and the main from October to December.
This lot features a mix of mainly SL28, and some Batian and Ruiru 11— varieties widely adopted regionally due to their high resistance, high yield and beautiful flavour properties.
PROCESSING
Washing: once the ripe cherries have been picked, they are delivered to a wet mill and loaded into a depulping machine that forces the beans out of the cherry. At this stage, the beans are contained within the pulp of the cherry, also known as the mucilage. This sticky mucilage is composed of natural sugars and alcohols, and contributes massively to the sweetness, acidity and overall flavour profile of the coffee.
Fermentation: once the beans have been pulped, they are put into fermentation tanks for around 12-24 hours, depending on temperature, though farmers are now experimenting with fermentation time to develop different flavour profiles. Fermentation results in the mucilage being broken down, leaving the beans in their parchment and ready to be washed. Then, they will feel gritty in your hands, which means they are ready to be dried.
Drying: the parchment beans are taken to drying tables (raised African beds) for 10-22 days, where they are gently turned. It is widely accepted that a slower drying time contributes to greater balance and complexity in the cup.
All the images and information about this coffee and its producers have been kindly shared by the importer, Condesa Co Lab, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).
Our ‘sweet spot’ for opening each coffee bag and brewing its contents is during days ~15-35 post-roast date.
Learn more about our updated coffee aging recommendations.
Need any brewing tips?
Head to our brew guides and find your favourite filter method—or head straight to our single origin espresso recipe. If you have further questions, send us an email. We’re always keen to help.
