Jokimwa Estate Kericho PB

Jokimwa Estate is located in Nyairobi Village, Kipkelion West Sub-County, Kericho County. Established in 2020, the estate is owned by family members of John Kigoi Mwangi (and ‘Jokimwa’ is potentially a portmanteau of John Kigoi Mwangi’s name). Currently, the Jokimwa Estate works with 95 smallholder farmers, primarily members of the Mwangi family, who previously delivered their coffee to surrounding cooperatives but who are now processing on the estate itself. 

Situated at elevations of 1,700 to 1,900 meters above sea level, the Jokimwa estate benefits from deep red volcanic soils and favorable climate conditions that encourage slow cherry maturation. These natural factors contribute to the exceptional flavor profile of this Fully washed lot. Packed with sweet berry notes alongside creamy vanilla and brown sugar, this coffee promises a vibrant and nuanced cup. The lot is graded as Peaberry (PB), a classification known for its distinctive shape and often prized for its bright, sweet cupping profile. 

Kericho is far better known internationally for tea – it sits at the heart of Kenya's tea belt, and the county's name is almost synonymous with large-scale black tea production. Coffee has long been grown here, but it has historically been overshadowed. That is changing quite rapidly. Today, it’s estimated that Kericho contributes approximately 10 percent of Kenya's total coffee output and is ranked fifth among the top coffee-producing counties in Kenya according to some lists.   

A quiet revolution is unfolding in Kericho, where maize fields are steadily giving way to coffee plantations, driven partly by county government support and partly by farmers seeing better returns from coffee than from their previous crops. 

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. 

Contributing family members and neighbors selectively handpick only ripe cherries. After sorting, cherry is pulped and fermented for 12 to 24 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed and soaked using clean water for up to 24 hours. 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, depending on weather conditions. 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. 

K7 is found mostly in Kenya and Tanzania and is known for its resistance to Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) and Coffee Berry Disease (CBD). The variety also has high yields and good cup potential at high altitudes. The plant is recognizable by its branch’s widespread.

K7 was selected from seedlings on Legetet Estate in Muhorohi, an estate owned by a man named R.H. Walker. In Kenya, K7 is less common in high-altitude areas, but it remains a popular choice in some lower-altitude regions due to its slight resistance to CLR.