CUP SCORE 89.50 (scaa cup protocol)

suggested for espresso and filter

PLEASE NOTE
We roast to order all coffees on Wednesday and Saturday, dispatching on next working day. Cut-off time is 8am UTC+1

Technical detail

 THE STORY BEHIND

The Ruarai Factory began in 1951, settling along the Ruarai River. The rich volcanic soil and slow maturation rate of the Nyeri region produce extra hard beans, which can be tasted in the quality of the coffee. These beans were grown by Ruthaka Farmer's Cooperative Society at an altitude of 1700 - 1800 and consists of SL-28 and SL-34. This coffee is complex with a mix of fruity and caramel flavours.

Ruarai means "a place of rocks" because of the rocks in the same river that flows along the factory. The water in this river is pushed through fallows for fermenting and other uses by the factory

About 600 smallholder farms deliver coffee cherries to the Ruarai wet mill, where they are hand sorted to remove unripe and overripe cherries before going into production. A pulping machine then separates the coffee by density, sending grades 1 and 2 to fermentation for 16-24 hours in the shade. After fermentation, the coffees are washed in channels and then soaked in clean water from the Ruarai stream for 16-18 hours. Finally, the coffee gets dried on raised beds for 21 days, covered in plastic during midday and at night. The traditional auction system in Kenya rewards quality with higher prices to the farmer, and Ruthaka is one of the best mills in Nyeri indeed.