Kenya Single Origin - Kiang'ombe Factory, Kirinyaga - Fully Washed SL28 SL34
Ah Kenya! People who love speciality coffee tend to adore coffee from Kenya. For many of us it was a through drinking a Kenyan coffee that we first discovered how the world of coffee can be so varied, so delicate, so delicious.
This month we bring you a coffee that, in many ways, represents the best Kenyan coffees have to offer. Here is a coffee that is delicate, complex and structured, offering a myriad of flavour experiences.
Varieties/Cultivars: SL28, SL34
Scott Laboratories is the 'SL' that appears on so many packages on Kenyan coffee (usually as SL28 or SL34). Scott Laboratories was a research unit set up in the 1920s (during the British colonial period) to advise and offer training to Kenyan farmers. Nowadays the unit is known as National Agricultural Laboratories.
The selective breeding of coffee plants to create new cultivars that might offer higher yields or higher resistance to disease was central to the work of the laboratories. 42 coffee trees of various origins were selected for study and cultivation. SL28 was bred in 1931 from a tree found in Tanganyika (present day Tanzania) and turned out to be one of the more successful cultivations - recognised for an extremely high quality coffee bean and reasonable productivity all the while being resistant to drought. SL34 was selected from a single tree in Kabete (Kenya) and is also proved for it's potential to deliver exceptional cup quality in the right circumstances while being resistance to both drought and heavy rainfall.
The Cooperative: Kabare Coffee Cooperative
The Kabare Cooperative is on the western side of Kirinyaga District in the southern part of famous Mt. Kenya. The peaks of the famous snow-capped Mt. Kenya are dominate the scenery in this area.The Kiang'ombe Factory (which gives its name to this coffee) is owned and run by the Kabare cooperative and takes its name from the village in which it is located.
Taste
There's a lot going on for the senses in this cup. Sweetness and fruitiness that delivers a strawberry/cherry jam flavour with some brew methods. Flavours of pineapple and lemon verbena also have a presence. Experimenting with the size of the grind particles when brewing can reveal different sensory elements.
Cupping Score - 87.75
Any score over 80 means that a coffee is considered 'speciality' and has something wonderful for the coffee drinker. This coffee has been awarded a cupping score of 87.75 which indicate that it's at the more exceptional end of the taste experience.
Processing - Fully Washed
This coffee is fully washed, which allows the delicate qualities of the acidity and sweetness to shine through.
Fika Pairing: Pistachio Meringue Sandwich with Lime Buttercream
Elevate your coffee experience by pairing this coffee with a seasonal fika recipe especially created for this coffee.
The sweet strawberry notes in this coffee contrast really beautifully with the lime in the filling of the meringue sandwich.
Our Roast Approach
Our philosophy is always to take a 'light approach' when roasting. We select coffee beans that, thanks to the soil, variety, location and skills of the farmers are of exceptional quality - our job at the roastery is to maintain that quality (rather than put our own personal stamp on the beans). We experiment with a variety of roast approaches until we uncover the what we believe is the best way to reveal the exceptional flavours in the beans. The result is, more often than not, a light Scandinavian roast for both Filter and Espresso. Below you can examine screenshots (taken from our roasting software) that reveals our approaches for both filter and espresso roasts.
Muttley & Jack's Coffee Roasters
Muttley & Jack’s is a prize winning coffee roastery based in Stockholm. Each month members receive a box of freshly roasted specialty grade coffee with an education pack to help coffee lovers and the coffee curious get more out of their coffee.
The 'Coffee Experience' packages together speciality coffee, travel and education. Discover more about 'Coffee Experience' membership.
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