What's in the Box - The May 2023 Edition
This month we have two quite fruity and flavorful East African coffees—a washed Kenya and a natural Ethiopia! The Muda Tatesa Natural from Guji, Ethiopia is a return coffee that we sunsetted for the past six months as we wait for fresh Ethiopias to roll in, but please keep enjoying this still-vibrant coffee. Kenyas, on the other hand, are fairly rare on our menu, so when this one came across our cupping table as an early arrival for this 2023 season, we couldn’t pass it up. Kamwangi AA represents the best to be found in the Kirinyaga region this year. We taste blackberry, lime zest, and brown sugar.
Coffee #1
Kamwangi AA
Kirinyaga, Kenya
1100 - 1800 masl
Ruiru 11, SL 28, Batian
Washed
From Sun to Sip: Solar Dryers Elevate Kenyan Coffee
In Kenya coffee is processed at central mills, called factories. Some of these factories adopted a new technique for drying to help increase the quality: solar dryers, versatile greenhouse-like structures that provide a more stable drying climate. This has been a climate resilience measure due to the coffee drying too quickly in the hot sun in recent years.
Kamwangi is an early adopter of solar dryers, and the quality shows in the cup!
“Using the UV radiation from the sun, the heat dries the coffee, regardless of the weather. The temperature and humidity are controlled by ventilation in the ceiling and sides of the structure,” says Muki Yeung, a specialty coffee trader with Dormans Coffee in Kenya. “The solar dryers allow us to control the environment the coffee is drying in, protecting the coffee from excessive heat or moisture.”
Current drying times are now around 10-14 days, which creates much more vibrant and complex flavor profiles.
“Quality is excellent because the factory is managed so well with regular training available to their members,” he says.
Not only is the coffee phenomenal, but Muki also says, “Kamwangi were in the top five of highest prices for cherry in Kenya paid to producers this past season.”
According to our source, Drew at Red Fox Importers, they pay as much as 20c/lb for coffee cherries above other factories. This gives farmers a huge incentive to deliver there, but their quality has to make the cut.
Coffee #2
Muda Tatesa Natural
Guji, Ethiopia
1900 - 2300 masl
Mixed varieties
Natural
Dagne Chomen
A coffee connoisseur's dream: the exquisite flavors of Ethiopia's Uraga region
At some of Ethiopia’s most extreme altitudes lies Guji’s Uraga region, a dense, mountainous forest that spans almost a thousand miles. Within this immense forest is an array of distinct sub-regions where we find some of the most extraordinary and sought-after coffees we’ve ever tasted—and this one comes from Dagne Chomen, an experienced cupper who is highly attuned to the opportunities for this region’s coffees. Dagne recently opened his washing station Welichu Wachu in Muda Tatesa at the center of Guji to collect coffee from all over Uraga’s vast forests from elevations as high as 2,300 masl.
Uraga coffees are profoundly nuanced with an unparalleled piquant florality and a bright, complex acidity—like lime and bergamot—backed by thick flavors of cooked berries. This sun-dried Muda Tatesa Natural also shines with a rustic natural wine-like characteristic—but does not have an overly fermented taste. Rather, it is silky smooth and complex. We hope you enjoy it while it lasts!
Coffee #3
Colunche Family
Cajamarca, Peru
1,500 masl
Mixed varieties
Washed
Coffee #4
Fazenda do Juquinha Lot 3
Minas Gerais, Brazil
1200 masl
Yellow Catuai
Natural
Ivan Prado de Melo and Weder Batista, brother-in-laws