Name: Gatirima AA
Origin: Kibugu, Embu County, Kenya

Tasting Notes: black currant, plum, mixed sweet berries, and floral in a balanced cup



Brewing Specs: For pourovers, a 1:16 ratio makes the acidity pop on this coffee and emphasizes sweetness. On espresso, a 1:2 - 1:2.1 ratio balances out the tart acidity and focuses on sugar-browning characteristics.

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We LOVE Kenyan coffees here at Little Waves Coffee. Their classic profile zings in your mouth and leaves a lingering finish that is just like no other coffee. This Kenyan coffee (as well as the Kiangoi AB) was selected at the 2023 EXPO when we cupped samples at the Kenyan booth led by Mbula Musau of Utake Coffee. Mbula is a force in our industry when it comes to quality control, roasting, and exporting excellent Kenyan coffees by small farmholders. Phyllis Johnson of BD Imports, who helped us get these coffees to us, said "One important highlight of these coffees is not only the coffee itself but the incredible value that Mbula at Utake adds in the supply chain.  Most coffee supply chains for Kenyan coffee are through foreign-owned exporting and multinational channels."

This coffee is a lot from the Gatirima factory in Kibugu Embu County, Kenya, one of
five washing stations operated by Kibugu Farmers Cooperative Society. The cooperative is made up of 1,100 active members, averaging around 1 hectare of
land, and growing tea, corn, bananas, macadamia, and eucalyptus in addition to
coffee.

Like the vast majority of Kenyan coffee, Gatirima receives freshly harvested coffee
cherry from many different smallholder farmers, then processes and sells it all
together as a cooperative effort. Processing plays the main role in coffee quality.
Almost all factories utilize a “72-hour process,” a process with an additional third
stage that uses fresh water to remove any remaining fruit. The factory uses a disc
pulper to mechanically remove the fruit from the inner parchment layer. It then undergoes an initial 24-hour ferment, then the coffee is washed and fermented again without water for 12-24 hours, before the final washing and soaking in tanks for 12-18
additional hours. After this, the coffee is transferred to raised African drying beds,
where it will be left for 8-15 days to reach optimal moisture content, while
continuous sorting and hand-turning of parchment takes place. At the end of this process, we are left with an immaculate coffee, with the only flavors being imparted at the farm or in the fermentation tanks.

We taste black currant, plum, mixed sweet berries, and floral in a balanced cup!

Blind Assessment

Juicy, floral-toned, richly sweet-savory. Red currant, cocoa nib, star jasmine, pistachio, myrrh in aroma and cup. Sparkling (phosphoric) acidity; smooth, viscous mouthfeel. Quietly confident finish consolidates to notes of red currant and cocoa nib.

Notes

Produced by smallholding farmers of the Gatirima Cooperative, entirely of the SL34 variety of Arabica, and processed by the traditional washed method (fruit skin and pulp removed before drying). Little Waves Coffee is a Latina-owned, women-forward company that provides livable wages for its diverse team. Visit www.littlewaves.coffee for more information.

Bottom Line

This single-variety (SL34) Kenya is balanced, juicy, and bright, with classic notes of currant and cocoa nib and exceptionally balanced acidity.

*If you would like this coffee ground, please specify brew method in comments.