Kirura Kiambu PB

Kirura Factory is located in the Komothai region of Kiambu County. The factory was built in 1970 and operates under the Komothai Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), which was established in 1956. The cooperative has over 11,000 members in total, nearly half of whom are women. Currently, Kirura is one of 11 active factories managed by Komothai FCS, with more than 1,000 registered members delivering cherry annually. 

Situated at 1,700 to 1,900 meters above sea level, Kirura benefits from deep red volcanic soils and favorable climate conditions, which naturally encourage slow cherry maturation. These factors, and the high elevation of contributing farms, contribute to the clarity and complexity of Kirura’s coffee.  

Through collective marketing, shared resources and a commitment to sustainable coffee production, Komothai has grown into one of the most trusted and progressive cooperatives in the region. 

This fully washed coffee is graded as Peaberry (PB), which is well known for its distinctive shape and prized for its often-sweet cupping profile.  

The ‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. Additionally, Ruiru 11 is a new variety known for its disease resistance and high yields. It also starts yielding fruit after just 2 years. 

Kiambu County and the Komothai area are also well known as the largest dairy-producing county in Kenya. Many coffee growers in the region are adhering to organic fertilizing practices, using only cow manure instead of agrochemicals on their coffee trees.   

Smallholders selectively handpick only ripe cherries and deliver them to the Kirura Factory. At intake, cherries are meticulously sorted, with only dense, ripe cherries accepted. After sorting, cherry is pulped and fermented for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the weather. Following fermentation, parchment is washed and soaked using clean water for 12 to 24 hours. Soaking coffee (often called double soaking or double fermentation) was initially developed as a means of ‘holding’ parchment in a stable environment until space was freed up on drying beds during the peak season. The practice is widespread in Kenya, and it has been shown to have additional benefit in final cup quality and coffee longevity.  

After soaking, parchment is laid to dry on raised beds. During the drying process, workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. Parchment is covered with tarp during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter from moisture. It takes approximately 15 to 21 days for parchment to dry. Once the drying is completed, parchment is bagged, milled and ready to export.   

SL28 and SL34 were 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 thanks 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. 

Ruiru 11, a hybrid of Catimor and SL cultivars, is both Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) resistant. Plus, it can be planted at a much higher density than the SL varieties, making optimal use of small plots of land.

Ruiru 11 has slowly ‘taken root’ across most of Kenya’s coffee growing landscape. The only issues were that with a shallower root structure, many farmers found the plant less hardy in drought conditions, and the trees required a more intense feeding program. Over time, farmers have found that by grafting Ruiru-11 to SL varieties they could take advantage of SL trees’ expansive root system and still reap the increased yields and higher immunity to disease of Ruiru-11.

Due to the grafted Ruiru-11’s growing popularity, most farms in Kenya today, both big and small, have a mixture of Ruiru-11 and SL varieties. As SL trees age, many farmers are opting to turn more towards Ruiru-11 (or the grafting solution) thanks to its ease of use and higher resistance to diseases.

Source: https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/varieties/ruiru-11 & https://sucafina.com/na/news/think-you-know-kenya-coffee-varieties-think-again

Developed by Kenya's Coffee Research Institute in 2010, Batian is named after the highest peak on Mt. Kenya and is resistant to both coffee berry disease (CBD) and coffee leaf rust (CLR). The variety has the added benefit of early maturity – cropping after only two years. Some challenges (such as vegetative structure) have prevented it from becoming widespread so far, but its popularity is certainly growing.

PB stands for peaberry. Peaberry is a name given to a very specific shape of coffee bean. In Spanish, peaberries are called “caracol”, which means “snail”. The name aptly describes the shape of the peaberry bean, which appears slightly curved in on itself.   

Peaberries are the result of a natural mutation in the coffee cherry. Whereas there are usually two beans nestled together in each fruit, a cherry with a peaberry mutation only forms one bean. Thus, peaberries are a single, rounder bean.

Peaberry mutations occur in approximately 5% of all coffee. The beans are known for being rounder, smaller and denser, which can contribute to a more even roast color when handled correctly. Many people find peaberries to have a sweeter flavor profile, as well.

Since peaberries are a natural mutation that is not visible from the outside of the cherry, peaberries must be sorted out during the screen grading stage of dry milling. The peaberry screens have the smallest holes, which are oblong to allow the rounder beans to fall through.