Kenya – Murue AA

An SL28 and SL34 lot from Doondu, a 238 hectare estate just outside Nairobi in Kiambu County. Originally established by British colonists in the early 20th century, the estate is now one of six owned and operated by Sasini, a publicly listed company with majority Kenyan ownership. Doondu is the largest of the group.

Kiambu has everything an arabica plant could want: iron rich semi-volcanic soils, abundant sunshine, cool nights and consistently high altitudes. The slow cherry maturation in these fertile highlands is what gives Kenyan coffee its famous acidity and complexity in the cup.

This lot is processed using an extended anaerobic fermentation. Ripe cherries are floated in clean water to remove the duds, then vacuum sealed in GrainPro bags for three days to ferment in oxygen-free conditions. After that they’re dried on raised African beds for up to six weeks until they hit the optimum 12.5% moisture content, then rested before hulling and grading.

Beyond the cup, Sasini’s estates place a strong emphasis on their workers and surrounding communities. This includes living quarters on site, early years education, union membership and guaranteed payment above minimum wage. In collaboration with Olam Specialty, they have also invested in the local Njenga Karume primary school, most recently building a new computer lab to give students the IT skills they need for an increasingly digital world.