Kenya MUKUNGA FACTORY from Rover Coffee Lab will transport you to a tropical morning where juicy lime meets black currant. In the cup, you’ll sense a lively acidity that infuses the entire coffee with energy and freshness. Black currant adds a sweeter fruitiness and, together with lime, creates a juicy and distinctive cup. It’s a coffee that will wake you up after just the first sip.
Behind this coffee is Hanner Wanjiku Mukunga, who owns and operates the Mukunga Estate in Kenya’s Kiambu region. The farm covers 10 hectares and is located near the Aberdare Forest, at an elevation of 1 ,850–1,880 meters above sea level. The coffee trees thrive here thanks to the fertile red volcanic soil and high annual rainfall. Approximately 90% of the coffee trees are of the SL28 variety, with the remainder being Ruiru 11; most of the trees were planted as far back as the 1970s. However, Hanner does not focus solely on maintaining the old coffee trees. He operates his own Arabica seedling nursery on the farm and sells new plants at affordable prices to neighboring growers, helping them to revitalize their farms.
Mukunga Factory uses the traditional washed processing method. After harvest, the coffee cherries are first stripped of their skin and pulp. The beans are then fermented to remove any remaining pulp, and afterward thoroughly washed with clean water. Finally, they are dried until they reach the desired moisture content. Thanks to the washed processing method, the coffee’s flavor profile remains clean, and the individual notes of black currant and lime have plenty of room to shine in the cup.