Kenya Dry Process Nyeri Gaikundo

Gaikundo is a bit of an outlier on our Kenya coffee list being the only dry process we bought. Compared to wet process Kenya, the flavor profile is a bit of an outlier too. Instead of the refined, citric cups you might be used to, this lot is overflowing with fruited intensity that has a winey edge to it. Believe it or not, we don't see a lot of dry process coffees from Kenya, and count ourselves lucky to pick up this one. The Gaikundo station is part of the Rumukia Farmer's Cooperative Society. It's near Kagumo town, Nyeri's southern region, with farm altitudes averaging around 1600 meters above sea level, but many top 2000. The area is abundant in red volcanic loam soils (common for the area around Mount Kenya), and coffee is usually just one of several other cash crops planted, including tea, corn, and bananas. Gaikundo is part of the Rumukia Farmers Cooperative Society along with 7 other wet mills, including Kiawamururu, Thunguri, and Gatura. As with other good coops in Nyeri, Gaikundo insists farmers separate their coffee cherries by ripeness upon delivery, removing under-ripe and damaged cherries that can have a negative impact on the cup. Small things like this make a huge difference in the resulting coffee.