Kivanga - Kenya

Kivanga Estate sits at 1,800 masl in Embu, where owner Morris Njage grows the classic Kenyan SL varieties across 7.5 hectares. Kivanga is on the smaller side for an estate farm in Kenya, but still operates its own wet mill where all of its coffees are processed. For this lot, ripe cherry was sorted and floated, then pulped and fermented in open tanks for 36–48 hours before being thoroughly washed and dried. We cupped this coffee at Kamavindi Coffee Labs in Embu, not far from Kivanga, and were impressed by its depth and intensity of flavor. The cup presents a familiar but exceptional Kenyan profile of juicy red and dark fruits — cranberry, currant, elderberry — with citrus accents and warming notes of candied ginger and clove tea.