Prevalent sweetness from start to finish, unrefined and toasted sugar notes with a sprinkling of cinnamon and clove, hints of golden raisin, dried cranberry, and bright highlights of tangelo and pomegranate.
Chinga AB is one of several coffees we picked up from Othaya Farmer’s Cooperative Society (FCS), an FCS that includes an impressive amount of wet mills, 18 in all, dating back to the late 1950s. Chinga Factory was the second mill to be developed under Othaya umbrella in 1960. “Factories” are essentially small washing stations aligned with a particular “society” in Kenya, what we would call a “cooperative”. We return to the societies who seem to regularly produce some of the best Kenya coffees, and each year we come across societies that are new to us as well.
Being one of the older Kenya FCS, we are well aware of the quality coming out of Othaya, and have had the good fortune to buy a few stellar lots the past two years. We bought three lots from the Chinga station this year alone including this AB lot, one each Peaberry and AA. This coffee’s sweetness just blew us away, marked by some lovely fruit hints, and vibrant, bright acidity too. It was purchased direct, not through the Kenya auction system, so we could avoid the risk of losing it. To do this we pay a price that is higher than what the top auction bid might be, but it means we get the exact lot we want.
Bean Spec:
- Origin: Kenya
- Region: Nyeri
- Producer: Othaya FCS
- Altitude: 2100m
- Cultivar: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru-11
- Process: Washed
- Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s