- Country – Kenya
- Region – Kisii County, Machoge Borabu constituency
- Farm – Kemangau Estate AB
- Varietal – SL28 & 34
- Process – Washed
- Cup Score – 85.75
- Altitude – 1727 masl
Tasting Notes:
Rhubarb, sweet and juicy, roasted caramelised hazelnuts
Farm Overview:
Marcarius Manchura, owner of the Kemangau estate first established the farm 2014. Kemangau estate is located in Kisii county, Machoge Borabu constituency. Kemangau estate has a tree population of up to 4,000 coffee trees. The main varieties of coffees grown here are: Ruiru 11- 1500 trees Batian – 500 trees Sl 28- 2000 trees
The estate receives support from Kahawa Bora, its miller, on good agricultural practices. Kahawa Bora has employed a team of agronomists who support in offering agricultural advice to the estate. Regular training is received on climate smart agriculture and good agricultural practices including, good pruning practices, Manure and fertiliser application, weed control and renovation advice which helps keep the farm in optimal condition.
Generally, the Kisii region experiences average temperatures of about 19 degrees Celsius and 1900mm rainfall per annum . Kisii’s climate is perfectly suited for the growth of coffee. Coffee grows in fertile volcanic soils and at high elevations of 1727m above sea level. The fertile deep volcanic soils that are also well-drained are perfect for the growth of Arabica coffee. These soils are also acidic with a pH that ranges between 5.3 and 6.0 which makes them even more ideal for coffee.
At Kemangau estate, only red ripe cherries are picked. At the factory, cherry sorting is done to remove the overripe and any other foreign material. Pulping is then carried out using a single-disc pulper which is run by a petrol engine. Fermentation is done in concrete fermentation tanks for a period of 12-14 hours. Thorough washing is then done using rain water being supplemented by clean river water. Drying of clean washed parchment is done on raised beds, care is taken especially during skin drying so as to avoid cracking of parchment which may lower the quality, even spreading is done for even drying. Further sorting is done as drying continues to remove unwanted materials, insect damaged beans and any unwanted beans. Drying on raised beds takes 7-10 days depending on the weather.