Karimikui from the Spanish roaster Nomad Coffee is a Kenyan coffee with a full body, juiciness, and beautifully pronounced fruitiness. The flavor profile combines black tea, kumquat, and apricot, complemented by sweeter notes of honey and panela. It has a brighter acidity and a velvety body, giving it an intense yet clean and elegant character. If you enjoy the classic Kenyan profile with pronounced fruitiness and pleasant sweetness, you’ll most likely feel right at home with this coffee.
The coffee comes from the Kirinyaga region at the foot of Mount Kenya, specifically from the Karimikui station in Ngariama. The station has been in operation since 1953 and is part of the Rung’eto Farmers Cooperative Society, which brings together more than 2,500 smallholder farmers. These farmers primarily cultivate their crops on small plots of land. The coffee is a blend of the SL-28, SL-34, Batian, and Ruiru-11 varieties. The coffee trees grow at an altitude of approximately 1,700 to 1,900 meters above sea level on fertile volcanic soils, which, together with the local climate, create excellent conditions for the slow ripening of the cherries.
Karimikui is processed using the washed method. Ripe cherries are harvested by hand and transported to the processing station the very same day, where they are carefully sorted and lower-quality fruits are separated in water. This is followed by pulping and fermentation for 12 to 24 hours, after which the beans are washed with clean water and soaked for another 24 hours. Finally, the coffee is dried for 7 to 21 days on raised beds or in solar dryers and is turned regularly to ensure that the drying process is as even as possible.
- Elevation: 1,700–1,900 m above sea level
- Harvest: 2026