Keňa Ichamama
Code: 2150/250 2150/1 2150/251 2150/2 Choose variantRelated products
Product detailed description
Roaster’s Notes: "Kenyan coffees are an absolute classic, and this one is a quintessential blackcurrant gem from the slopes of the volcano in the Nyeri region. It is the definitive choice for any lover of washed coffees, and I truly believe that if you close your eyes while sipping, you’ll experience a full-blown fruity symphony! It perfectly captures the mood of the warm sunshine and the bright days ahead."
Washing Station: Ichamama
Country: Kenya
Location: Nyeri
Varietal: 100% Arabica (SL14, SL28, Batian)
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1,740 m a.s.l.
Harvest: Spring 2025
Flavour Profile: Blackcurrant, elderberry, mandarin
Brewing Method: Ideal for filter coffee
The Ichamama washing station is situated in the fertile Nyeri region, north of Nairobi, right at the foot of the extinct Mount Kenya volcano. The nutrient-rich red volcanic soil gives the local coffees their unmistakable, vibrantly fruity, and sweet character. The Nyeri region itself is the traditional home of the Kikuyu people, who boast a long and proud agricultural heritage. The local farmers are often second-generation landowners; their farms were established in the 1950s during land reforms that first allowed Kenyan smallholders to grow crops on their own family plots.
More than 780 small-scale farmers—over 270 of whom are women—deliver their cherries to the Ichamama station. They manage very small plots with an average size of just half a hectare, where coffee trees are intercropped with bananas, maize, and macadamia nuts.
Ichamama is part of the large and historically significant Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society, founded in 1956 with just 250 original members. Today, the co-operative brings together a staggering 11,000 smallholders and operates 17 washing stations. The co-op is Fair-Trade certified and deeply committed to supporting the local community—from visiting orphanages and assisting those in need to building pedestrian footbridges and organising free medical check-ups in collaboration with local hospitals.
Processing
This coffee is processed using the classic Kenyan washed method, which is optimised for maximum cup clarity and precise, sparkling acidity.
The process begins with selective hand-picking, where only perfectly ripe, deep-red cherries are accepted. At the station, these are mechanically depulped. The beans then undergo 'dry fermentation' for 24–36 hours (depending on ambient temperature and humidity). After fermentation, the coffee is thoroughly washed with clean water in grading channels, where the beans are simultaneously sorted by density.
Drying takes place slowly on raised African beds under the sun for 2 to 3 weeks, until the parchment moisture drops to the ideal 10–12%. Before being exported in protective GrainPro bags, the coffee is left to rest. Finally, it is hulled, graded by bean size, and hand-sorted once more to ensure the absolute flawlessness of the lot.
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