Kenya AA Ndaro-ini – Washed

This top AA lot comes from Ndaro-ini PLC, a privately owned washing station working with around 2,000 smallholder farmers in Nyeri County, near the border with Embu. Founded in 1986 by farmers who wanted a shorter journey to deliver their cherries. Thus they named it Ndaro-ini which means "Place of rest" in Swahili.

Grown at 1,800–1,900 meters in Kenya’s central highlands, the beans develop slowly in cool night temperatures, producing dense, hard cherries with bright acidity and complex, layered flavours.

Tasting Notes: Blackberry, Grapefruit, Pear, Butter

Country: Kenya

Region:  Nyeri, Central Highlands 

Altitude: 1,800–1900m

Varietal:  Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34

Process:  Washed

Roast: Light

Tasting Notes: Blackberry, Grapefruit, Pear, Butter

The story:

Nyeri County lies between the Eastern base of the Aberdare Range and the Western slopes of Mount Kenya. Its fertile soils, high altitude, and seasonal rainfall provide ideal conditions for coffees with bright acidity, ripe fruit character, and full body.

Ndaro-ini works with smallholder farmers who deliver ripe cherries to the station for careful processing. Their attention to detail, combined with the unique terroir, ensures that every cup expresses the clean, vibrant flavours Kenya is known for.

The process:

Fully ripe cherries are pulped and fermented for 12 to 48 hours depending on temperature and humidity. They are then washed and dried slowly on raised African beds over two to three weeks until the moisture content reaches 10–12%.

Once dried, the coffee rests in parchment at Othaya Dry Mill for three weeks before being hulled, cleaned, graded, and hand-selected for export. The result is a bright, juicy coffee with notes of blackberry, pear, and grapefruit, rounded by a creamy finish.