| Farm | Mutitu |
|---|---|
| Process | Washed |
| Variety | Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 |
| Elevation | 1500-2000 MASL |
| Region | Kirinyaga |
| Country | Kenya |
| Harvest | October - December |
Cupping Notes:
Brown sugar with cacao and mellow tangy raisin flavors
The Mutitu factory, established in 1963, is situated on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya in the Kirinyaga region. This mill supports local smallholder farmers, contributing to one of Kenya's premier coffee-growing regions. Coffees from these southern slopes consistently rank among the finest in the world. There are approximately 1,250 members who deliver coffee cherries to the factory, each average around ½ acre of land with approximately 200 coffee trees, most of which have matured alongside macadamia.
**Microlot**
Kenyan microlots are traceable to individual farms or factories and selected based on cup scores. Most of these microlot farmers cultivate on average 1/8 to 1/4 hectare, delivering their coffee cherries to local factories for sorting. These smaller deliveries are blended into daily lots. Our green buyer resides in Kenya during harvest cupping numerous samples from these daily lots, selecting the best of these coffees for our microlots which generally yield less than 100 bags per harvest.
**From Our Export Partner:**
The coffee is handpicked by the smallholder members and delivered to the factory, where it is pulped. This initial process separates the dense beans from the immature "mbunis" (floaters) using water flotation, allowing the more dense (high quality) beans to sink and be directed through channels to the fermentation tank.
This first stage of fermentation lasts around 24 hours, after which the beans are washed and sent to a secondary fermentation tank for an additional 12-24 hours. Once the fermentation process is complete, the beans enter washing channels where the few outlying floaters are further separated. The high quality dense beans are then cleaned of the leftover mucilage.
After this washing the beans then enter soaking tanks, where they remain submerged in clean water for up to 24 hours. This soaking process allows amino acids and proteins within the cellular structure of each bean to develop, resulting in higher acidity and complex fruit flavors to be extracted during the brewing process. It is believed that this soaking process contributes to the complex flavor profiles for which Kenyan coffees are renowned.
After this soaking process, the beans are then transferred to the initial drying tables, where they are spread in a thin layer to allow approximately 50% of the moisture to be quickly removed. This first stage of drying has a timeline of approximately 6 hours before the beans are gathered and laid in thicker layers for the remaining 5-10 days of the drying period where they are carefully monitored to achieve an approximate 11% moisture content. The dry parchment coffee is then delivered to a private mill and placed into "bodegas" to rest—these are raised cells made of chicken wire that allow the coffee to breathe fully. Coffee is traditionally sold through the country’s auction system; however, recent amendments to Kenya's coffee law have introduced direct trading, allowing the farmers and processors to bypass the auction process and sell directly to specialty roasters around the world.
These cupping notes are relative to light roast profiles. As the roast profile darkens toward medium to medium/dark, these notes will be slightly eclipsed, resulting in more sweetness and roasted flavor. Once the french roast profile is attained, most of the aforementioned cupping notes will be difficult to detect.
In response to the increasing awareness of environmental conservation, the Mutitu factory has constructed wastewater soakaways to manage the leftover water from coffee processing. These underground structures are designed to facilitate the percolation of water into the surrounding soil. This system naturally filters and treats coffee wastewater, promoting the absorption of both water and compost nutrients back into the ground. Typically made from materials such as gravel or stone, soakaways prevent surface water accumulation and help maintain groundwater levels, thereby contributing to effective coffee processing wastewater management and environmental sustainability.