unrefined sugar sweetness envelopes top notes of tangy lemon and complex citrus, stone fruit, blackberry and a subtle baking spice aroma.
Kiambu lies near the foothills of Gatamaiyo Forest Reserve, and at the border of neighboring Muranga County. Fram Farm is owned and managed by the Kariruki family, James getting his start in coffee through a small plot he inherited from his grandfather. Now at 40, James has expanded their farm to nearly 30 hectares, the entirety planted in SL-28, and sitting at roughly 1850 meters above sea level. This is one of a few small estate coffees we were lucky enough to sourced from which is not part of FCS.
Most common way to source Kenyan coffee tend to buy from the Farmers Cooperative Societies (“FCS”), which is a government supported entity. But buying from a single estate affords us a different and unique opportunity to select coffee that we can trace back to its exact provenance, whereas with the FCS’s, you’re buying a blend of hundreds and sometimes thousands of small holders. This is certainly not a bad thing as some of our finest Kenyas are through FCS’s, just different.
Dark berry and citrus highlights are some of what makes this AA selection from Fram Farm so special. The aroma smells of dark brown sugar with hints of fruit jams. Blackberry, stone fruit and tangy lemon rind are a few of the top notes picked out when cupping, along with subtle dry spice notes marking the aroma. As the coffee comes down in temperature, a tart citrus flavor helps shape Fram Farm’s flavor profile, adding a sharpness to the cup.
- Origin: Kenya
- Region: Kiambu, Muranga
- Estate: Fram Farm
- Farmer: James Kariruki
- Altitude: 1850m
- Cultivar: SL-28
- Grade: AA
- Processing: Wet Process Kenya Type
- Drying: Patio Sun-Dried
- Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s