Kenya Gatomboya AA
Code: 2020/250 2020/1 2020/251 2020/2 Choose variantRelated products
Product detailed description
Flavour profile: elderberries, dried apricots, pink pomelo
Region: Nyeri District
Washing station: Gatomboya
Altitude: 1 800 m.a.s.l.
Variety: 100% Arabica SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 & Batian
Harvest: spring 2025
Processing: washed
The name Gatomboya comes from the Kikuyu language and means "swamp". This name is not accidental - it refers to the wetlands that surround the area. Gatomboya Washing Station is located in Nyeri County, on the southern slope of the majestic Mount Kenya. It is part of the Barichu Cooperative Society and is located at an altitude of about 1 800 metres, about 4 kilometres from Karatina town.
The cooperative brings together approximately 600 small coffee growers who farm at altitudes between 1 400 and 2 000 metres above sea level. Each year, the station processes around 600 tonnes of coffee cherries, which are harvested during the main season from November to December.
Farmers in this area mainly grow the proven SL28 and SL34 varieties, complemented by the more modern Ruiru 11. All these varieties have adapted well to the local terroir, which consists of rich volcanic and sandy soil.
Harvesting is purely manual - only ripe cherries are harvested and brought by the growers directly to the Gatomboya station. There they are met by a 'Cherry Clerk', an expert who checks the quality of the cherries delivered by careful visual inspection and the 'floating method' - only dense, fully ripe fruit is selected.
Once the cherries are received, they are peeled and fermented for 16 to 24 hours. The coffee is then washed with clean water and then steeped for a further 8 to 14 hours. The parchment coffee thus prepared is then dried on raised African beds.
During the drying process, the beans are mixed regularly to dry evenly. During the hottest hours, they are covered so that the process does not proceed too quickly; and the beans are protected from moisture at night. Drying takes about three weeks, after which the coffee is put into storage and prepared for auction.
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