Kenyan coffee deserves its own category in the coffee world. There is good reason why many of the most experienced coffee fanatics in the industry call Kenya their favorite: It’s a unique and flat-out spectacular coffee! Why is it so great? A near-perfect synergy of altitude, latitude, botany and processing tradition is the most logical answer.

The country’s location smack on the equator and the exceptional altitudes (up to 2100 meters in some regions) give Kenyan farmers an advantageous climate for producing top coffees. The SL-28 and SL-34 cultivars that have been planted there are known to produce coffees with compelling aromatic and acidic qualities. And when it comes to preserving or enhancing cup quality, the Kenyan traditions for post-harvest coffee handling seem to be among the most effective among growing countries. The Kenyan method allows for fermentation times that can reach up to 72 hours – triple that of many other growing regions. This combination of wet and dry fermentation followed by a post-washing 24-hour soaking period may indeed contribute to the astounding depth and intensity of flavor in these beans. There is some speculation about the participation of amino acids that develop during the soaking period having some effect on flavor. We’ve been running some experiments in Rwanda to replicate the processes and try to better understand the impact of the fermentation.

Once fermentation is completed and the coffees are washed and bathed, they are transferred to drying tables. Kenyans have long used elevated screens to dry the parchment, in contrast to the cement patios that are the norm in Central America. (Raised drying platforms are often called “Kenyan” beds by producers using them in other countries.) Coffee dried on screens has several advantages: better air circulation, more even drying, no contact with hot surfaces, and more protection from re-wetting in the case of rain. They also allow for better sorting of the parchment during the drying as the tables sit at waist-height making it easy for coop workers to spread the coffees around and pick through them without needing to bend over.

A mandatory auction system that rewards quality with dollars also makes some of the best Kenyan coffees available for purchase as single lots. The best of the lots often sell for prices three to four times higher than the best coffees in other countries. This system, while helpful in some ways, is also highly problematic. Despite a commendable level of transparency that is embedded in the auction system, there are opportunities for corruption that occur due to the lack of options offered to the farmer. Nearly 60% of Kenyan coffee (and most of the best) comes from smallholder producers who sell through local cooperatives. Oftentimes the great premiums awarded in the auctions do not end up in the farmer’s pocket, and many Kenyan farmers are barely sustaining themselves with coffee production.

This is the great tragedy of Kenyan coffee: it is widely acknowledged as one of the top coffees in the world and consistently purchased by roasters at very high prices, yet the individual farmers are rarely compensated properly. Our Direct Trade purchasing efforts through the newly available “second-window” are aimed at correcting this, allowing for full transparency in the distribution of payments to individual farmers within the cooperative.

The Thiriku Farmers Co-op Society used to be a part of the larger Tetu Cooperative but split off to go its own way in 2002. The factory itself is a thing of beauty, with gorgeously landscaped grounds and a very impressive level of organization. They run a tight ship, and the coffee quality is glimmering proof that more attention to detail leads to better tasting results. The washing station is situated at nearly 1900 meters, making it one of the highest altitude stations in the region. In all likelihood this location (and the cooler temperatures that come with increased elevation) is a significant factor influencing the quality of the coffees they process. Cooler temperatures mean slower development of the cherries, longer fermentation times, and a more drawn-out drying period that helps encourage uniform moisture in the dried parchment coffee. Longer drying also means greater risk of damage to the coffees, so there is a real need to be vigilant!

Much of the coffee processed at Thiriku grows in the red volcanic-loam soils of the Ihithe Ridge. The Co-op serves six different villages in the surrounding area, and is very active in pursuing further education and support mechanisms for its farmer members. They’ve got a lot of challenges ahead, and the fact that they are operating just a single factory means fewer resources to apply to growth and development. The infrastructure is old and requires some rehabilitation (especially the washing channels and soaking tanks) and there is a definite need for more technical assistance to bring individual farmers up to date with advanced farm husbandry. But, the future looks bright. As I’ve said before, intention and persistence makes all the difference when it comes to improving coffee farm operations and uplifting quality, and this group seems to have the right kind of leadership to bring about forward progress. Given that they are already producing some lots of coffee with exceptional quality there are some critical odds working in their favor. Now it is a matter of producing this kind of coffee with greater consistency and continuing to build allegiance within their farmer network.

This year we invited the Chairman of Thiriku, Mr. Erastus Mathenge, to come to El Salvador and participate in the Extraordinary Coffee Workshop that we hold annually in producing countries. The purpose is to unite accomplished farmers from all of the different growing regions around the world so that they have an opportunity to share information, build friendships, and learn from one another. It is about improving the craft, advancing coffee quality upwards with all the collective resources and knowledge we can muster. It is also a great way to strengthen the connections between Intelligentsia staff and all of the amazing farmers we work with. Baristas, roasters, and staff from every different department have a chance to come and get to know these growers who produce the coffees that we all celebrate each year, and the impact cannot be understated.