Notes from our Green Buyer

The Karatu Coffee Mill, in Thika, Kiambu, is part of the Gitwe Cooperative.  The Coffee Mill lies in a volcanic area of the Aberdare Mountains on the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya and supports about 900 smallholder farmers, whose selections make up this coffee.  This is another one of our amazing coffees from our Kenyan partner—a friend I’ve been working with for seventeen years—Mark Barany.

Notes from our Roaster

Sometimes, the brightness of Kenyan coffees can be overwhelming, leaving you with an astringent, almost pithy taste in your mouth. The challenge, then, is in roasting Kenyan coffees to draw out the sweetness in balance with the acidity. Karatu has a beautiful acidity and pronounced sweetness—grapefruit, balanced out with peach and brown sugar—making it juicy and enjoyable.