When Koun Coffee says this is a Kenyan coffee like you’ve never tasted before, it’s not just a marketing gimmick. It’s a fact. This coffee offers a profile full of kiwi, honeydew melon, and juiciness, thanks to the rare Yellow Honey processing method , which is practically unheard of in Kenya. With a cupping score of 88 points and SL28 and SL34 varieties, this coffee is proof that rules are meant to be broken.
Kirimara Estate is located in the Kirinyaga region of central Kenya, on the slopes below the sacred Mount Kenya, whose volcanic soil and high altitude rank among the most prestigious coffee-growing territories in the world. Coffee trees of the SL28 and SL34 varieties grow at altitudes of 1,200 to 1,800 meters, where slow ripening and significant temperature differences between day and night contribute to the complexity and intensity of the flavors. Both varieties were originally bred at Scott Laboratories during the colonial era and are now synonymous with top-tier Kenyan coffee. The Koun Coffee roastery has established a 100% direct trade relationship with Mohamed’s family, without intermediaries, exactly as it envisions fair and transparent collaboration with the source.
Yellow Honey processing is an extraordinary rarity in Kenya. While the vast majority of Kenyan coffees undergo the classic washed process, the Kirimara Estate has gone its own way. With the honey method,a portion of the mucilage (the natural sticky layer that coats the coffee bean beneath the fruit’s pulp)remains on the bean, andthe bean is dried on beds without prior rinsing. The Yellow Honey designation corresponds to a moderate amount of mucilage left on the bean, which imparts a natural sweetness and tropical juiciness to the coffee without overburdening the profile with pronounced fermentation. The result is a coffee with a clean and fruity character.