This Kenyan coffee has a flavor profile that’s almost like fruit tea on steroids. Beansmith’s Ngugu-ini AA is a bold drip coffee with a fuller body and medium-to-high acidity. The flavor combines fresh rhubarb with intense black currant, while the sweetness is reminiscent of ripe stone fruits and panelu. The finish reveals a subtle umami note of green tea, which adds an interesting finishing touch to the entire profile. The result is a juicy and complex Kenyan coffee that earned 87 points from Beansmith’s in cupping.
The beans come from the Karatina region in Kenya’s Kirinyaga County, where they grow at an elevation of approximately 1,600 to 1,700 meters above sea level. The Ngugu-ini washing station has been in operation since 1958 and is part of the Kibirigwi Farmers’ Cooperative Society, one of the long-standing local cooperatives with an excellent reputation. More than 1, 200 smallholder farmers, most of whom cultivate plots of land around one acre in size, supply their cherries to the station. The lot consists of the SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11 varieties—a combination that is very typical of Kenyan production.
After a selective harvest of ripe cherries, the traditional Kenyan washed processing method is applied. The cherries are first de-pulped, and the beans are sorted by density using water. The parchment beans then undergo dry fermentation for approximately 24 hours, after which they are thoroughly washed in channels of clean water and sorted again. It is precisely this meticulous work that helps bring out the typical Kenyan combination of pronounced fruitiness, fresh acidity, and a clean flavor profile.
- Processing station: Ngugu-ini
- Elevation: 1, 600–1,700 m above sea level