Guama AA

ORIGIN
Despite sharing a border with the ‘birthplace of coffee,’ Ethiopia, coffee was introduced to Kenya relatively recently. The first coffee plants were brought to Kenya by Scottish and French missionaries during the 19th century, the latter contributing to the introduction of Bourbon, which was transplanted from the Island of Bourbon (now called Reunion). The Scottish, meanwhile, selected strains from Mocha, Yemen, to develop the famous SL28 and SL 34 cultivars that are characteristic of the exceptional coffees that this beautiful country has to offer.

Grown in the Kirinyaga region, this Central-Kenyan coffee growing region enjoys ample rainfall throughout the year. Many rivers also run through the forested region which is home to exotic wildlife and exceptional biodiversity. This helps to support the nutrient-rich volcanic soils providing smallholder farmers with the natural resources to grow and process some of Kenya’s most fruit-forward coffees.
 

PRODUCER
Guama Coffee Washing Station is owned and operated by Baragwi Farmers’ Cooperative Society. This wet mill was established in 1986 with over 3500-member smallholder farmers – each with an average of 300 coffee trees on their land. Once harvested, the cherries are delivered to the wet mill where they are hand-sorted to remove any unripe cherries or foreign matter before being de-pulped.

The coffee is fermented for up to 24 hours in washing tanks depending on the ambient temperature before being fully washed on gradient water channels to remove traces of mucilage. The parchment is then dried on raised drying beds for approximately 10-18 days until the optimum moisture content is reached. The dried parchment is transported to the co-operative’s own dry mill in the Kirinyaga county where it is milled and graded for quality before being prepared for auction and finally, export.
 

ROAST
Sourced through our friends at Falcon Specialty, we love this coffee for its tartaric grapefruit-like acidity. We opted for a short, energetic roast profile to preserve the vibrant acidity whilst developing the coffee in a way that accentuates the fruity blackberry notes followed by a jammy vine tomato sweetness in the finish. Perfect for a range of filter options on a hot summer’s day!