This Kenya Githembe AB from the French roastery People Possession will surprise you in the cup with a combination of dried cherry tomatoes, chamomile, blueberry tea, and panela. The sun-dried tomatoes bring a concentrated sweetness, a subtly spicy fruitiness, and a light umami character that gradually transitions into the floral notes of chamomile. Blueberry tea adds a fresh, fruity note to the cup, while panela—unrefined cane sugar—rounds out the entire profile with a pleasant caramel sweetness. The result is a clean, juicy, and uniquely flavored coffee that perfectly captures the unconventional style of People Possession.
The coffee comes from the Githembe processing station in Kenya’s Kiambu region. Grown at an elevation of 1,600 to 1, 800 meters, it is cultivated by local smallholder farmers who bring their hand-picked cherries to the station for collective processing. This lot consists of the Kenyan varieties SL28 and SL34, along with the more modern varieties Batian and Ruiru 11. The AB designation refers to the size category of the beans, not their flavor quality. It is precisely the combination of high altitude, local conditions, and several varieties that gives the coffee its complex, distinctive character.
The cherries were processed using the washed method, in which the skin and most of the pulp are removed after harvest. Subsequent fermentation and washing help rid the beans of any remaining mucilage and enhance the clarity of the resulting flavor profile. The coffee is then dried to the desired moisture content. This processing allows its tea-like lightness, floral aroma, and precisely distinct flavor layers to shine through. The filter roast highlights the coffee’s freshness and creates space for its unusual blend of fruity, herbal, and sweet notes.