Gatina Washing Station, KenyaCoffee Bean Intro:
Coffee region: Nyeri
Altitude: 1500meters
Coffee variety: SL28 & SL34
Processing method: 72-hour washed process, African raised bed drying
Grade: AA
Harvest year: 2020year
Coffee region
Located in central Kenya, Nyeri Nyeriis home to the dormant volcano Mount Kenya. The region’s red soil produces some of Kenya’s finest coffees.
Agriculture is extremely important in Nyeri, with coffee being the primary crop.
Smallholder cooperatives are more common than large estates. The region has two harvests: 10month 〜12month (main season) and 6month 〜8month, but coffee from the main season typically has higher quality.
Coffee variety
This coffee is of the SL28 and SL34。
varieties, which were first developed in the 1930s by the Kenyan government through the newly established Scott Labs, tasked with selecting varieties suitable for the country. 42The initially selected varieties underwent individual numbering and screening, ultimately resulting in SL-28and SL-34. The former originates from Bourbon, SL-34from Typica, and the two are not part of the same series.
The original goal of breeding SL28was to produce coffee beans in large quantities that combined high quality with resistance to pests and diseases. In some regions, the focus was mainly on high yield and disease resistance, without consideration for cup quality.
Thanks to its Bourbon lineage, although the yield of SL28did not meet expectations, its copper-colored leaves and bean shape—resembling broad beans—deliver excellent sweetness, balance, and complex, diverse flavors, along with notable citrus and black plum characteristics.
SL34Compared to SL28, it shares similar flavors, but aside from complex acidity and a great sweet finish, its mouthfeel is SL28softer and cleaner. SL34It has lineage from French Mission, Bourbon, and more Typica. Its bean appearance is similar to SL28and it is better adapted to rainforest growth.
Processing method
The processing method for this coffee is Kenya’s unique 72-hour washed process.
The Kenyan-style washed process involves repeated cycles of fermentation and washing. On the day of harvest, the highest-quality coffee cherries are selected, depulped, and fermented for 24hours. 24hours later, they are washed with clean river water.
Then, they are fermented again in clean river water for 24hours before being washed once more. This cycle is repeated 3times, totaling 72hours, hence the name “Kenyan 72-hour fermented washed process,” often abbreviated as K72。
. This method allows the coffee beans to ferment at low temperatures for an extended period, resulting in brighter, cleaner, yet fuller flavors.
Coffee grade
This Gatina Washing Station coffee is graded as AA。
. Kenyan coffee grading is primarily based on bean size, shape, and hardness, ranked from highest to lowest as AAor AA+、AB、PB、C、E、TT、T
Roast profile
