About This Coffee
Cianda Estate was established in 1928 under settlers and has grown coffee for a long time. It was purchased from the colonial government and is now owned by the late Njenga Karume's Family, a prominent business and politician and leader. Cianda Estate is now run by Njenga Karume's children. The estate produces both coffee and tea in Kenya’s traditional coffee heartland, Kiambu. The farm is one of the region’s historic estates, now increasingly threatened by urban expansion. Many of Kenya’s original coffee farms have been repurposed for housing or industrial developments — but Cianda is still going strong!
Today, over 70 hectares of the 100-hectare farm are planted with SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11 varieties.
In response to growing demand for Natural process coffees, Cianda Estate began trialing natural lots. After careful quality control and successful experimentation, the results are impressive: expect a bright, berry-like acidity, bold tropical fruit sweetness, and a lingering bittersweet chocolate finish.
Cultivation
Kiambu county has deep red volcanic soils, rich in organic matter and perfect for coffee farming.
Jeremy Githinji, a full-time farm manager manages Cianda Estate along with a bit of help and with great diligence. For this natural lot, the SL-28 variety is used.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Processing at Cianda Estate is iconically Kenyan with stringent adherence to quality control. Only ripe cherry is handpicked and selected by the farmers. After intake, Cherry is laid on raised beds and dried for 20-30 days.
About Kiambu
Kiambu is right outside Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi but is nonetheless known for agriculture – specifically coffee and tea. The county is also home of the Kenyan Coffee Research Foundation.
Kiambu County is also well known for its dairy production, and is the largest dairy producing county in Kenya. Many of the growers here adhere to organic fertilizing practices, using only cow manure instead of agrochemicals on their coffee trees.
Farmers in Kiambu face low production due to pests and disease while simultaneously having to pay high prices for inputs. In recent years, many have felt the strain and have sold their land to real-estate developers looking to build on the edge of Nairobi.
About SL28 & SL34
SL28 and SL34 were just two of the cultivars released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) during the height of SAL’s research in Kenya in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the cultivars of choice for most growers due to their deep root structure that allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. SL varieties also had higher yields than the French Bourbon rootstock that they replaced and were known to be somewhat more disease resistant.
While SL varieties are still highly sought after today, they’ve become less widely cultivated in Kenya due to their relatively low resistance to coffee leaf rust (CLR). Compared to more recent varieties, SL varieties are more susceptible to diseases and pests and require very specific altitudes and climates to flourish. However, that hasn’t stopped specialty-focused farmers, who, inspired by the flavors and popularity of SL varieties, have have spread the cultivation of SL varieties worldwide.
Coffee in Kenya
Though coffee growing had a relatively late start in Kenya, the industry has gained and maintained a impressive reputation. Since the start of production, Kenyan coffee has been recognized for its high-quality, meticulous preparation and exquisite flavors. Our in-country sister company, Sucafina Kenya, works with farmers across the country to ensure these exceptional coffees gain the accolades they deserve.
Today, more than 600,000 smallholders farming fewer than 5 acres compose 99% of the coffee farming population of Kenya. Their farms cover more than 75% of total coffee growing land and produce nearly 70% of the country’s coffee. These farmers are organized into hundreds of Farmer Cooperative Societies (FCS), all of which operate at least one factory. The remainder of annual production is grown and processed by small, medium and large land estates. Most of the larger estates have their own washing stations.
Most Kenyan coffees are fully washed and dried on raised beds. The country still upholds its reputation for high quality and attention to detail at its many washing stations. The best factories employ stringent sorting practices at cherry intake, and many of them have had the same management staff in place for years.