Kenya Nyeri Kamoini AB

Kamoini is one of several coffees we picked up from Othaya Farmer’s Cooperative Society (FCS). Othaya got its start back in the 1950s and currently have 18 coffee factories (wet mills) under their umbrella. Kamoini Factory sits at 1825 meters above sea level, right along the Ichamama River, which is fed from the Karima forest above. “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 of buying coffee from the different Othaya factories the past few years. This lot 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.

Kamoini boasts intense aromatics with caramelized sugar and fruit, a fragrance of blueberry muffin. The wet grounds are a bit more perfumed in sweetness and smell of lemon black tea and raisin. City to City+ roasts are delicious pour-over brews, with an orange flavor shadowed closely by corn syrup sweetness. The cup intensity builds as it cools and layers of raw sugars are uncovered as you sip it: the cleanliness of simple syrup, aromatic cane juice, and even a slight rustic appeal of molasses cookies. Citrus fruit like nectarine and grapefruit emerge as well, but are more of a flavor accent than the focus. The mouthfeel is juicy, and flavors fade to hints of hops and fruit that reminds me of Belgian ale. The sweetness holds up to roast too, and at Full City, chocolate roast tones are balanced by saccharine sweetness, fruit notes hinting at black current and dark berry. I cupped three different roast levels of Kamoini and recommend sticking to light-to-medium roasts in order to highlight the complex fruit and acidity. After all, that’s what Kenyan coffees are known for.