Oneska - Kenya

Oneska is the small estate farm of Onesmus Njagi, a retired schoolteacher, and his wife, Karen, on the slopes of Mount Kenya in Embu County. Last fall, we visited ahead of harvest and toured their four hectares, where they grow the traditional SL-28 and SL-34 varieties at good altitude and under ideal growing conditions. The name Oneska is a portmanteau of Onesmus and Karen, who established the farm in the early 1990s and have spent decades honing their agronomic and processing practices. They process their coffee using the classic Kenyan “double fermentation”: 20 hours of dry fermentation followed by a 24-hour soak in fresh water, with careful washing in between and afterward. The resulting cup has a slightly different profile from other Kenyans we’ve roasted this year: tamer acidity but plenty of depth and length, with a smooth, structured mix of preserved fruit, browning sugar sweetness, and black tea.