Specialty coffee from Kenya

SL28, Kenya's signature variety, was selected in 1931 from a single tree imported from Tanzania. Its high phosphoric acid concentration produces the blackcurrant and redcurrant notes that make Kenyan coffee immediately recognizable to specialty buyers worldwide. Kenya's double-wash process (two fermentation and washing stages) creates the aromatic clarity that separates top lots from standard washed coffees.

Kiambu, Kenya's oldest coffee region (est. 1899), is shrinking as Nairobi expands. Lots from cooperatives like Ritho FCS (est. 1995, 2,548 members) are increasingly rare. A Wamuguma Peaberry lot from this cooperative scored 88.25 SCA. The Guido catalog pairs classic washed Kiambu lots with anaerobic naturals from Nandi Hills; 96-hour fermentation in Nandi Hills introduces tropical sweetness alongside Kenya's citric acidity.