KENYA KIHUYO LOT 6191

Kihuyo is one of the producing factories under the Mutheka Farmers Cooperative Society in central Kenya, a collective of nearly 6,000 smallholder farmers each tending around 160 coffee trees. The cooperative operates seven washing stations across the region, creating a network deeply rooted in Kenya’s long tradition of washed coffee production. The coffees here are shaped by both scale and precision, where countless small harvests come together into one distinct expression.

At Kihuyo, ripe cherries are delivered and carefully sorted before pulping begins. Through water flotation the denser beans are separated from lighter immature cherries, allowing only the heavier lots to move into fermentation. The first fermentation rests for around 24 hours, followed by a second stage lasting another 12 to 24 hours. Once complete the beans are washed clean and moved into soaking tanks under fresh water for another day, a process believed to deepen acidity and build the layered fruit character that has become central to Kenyan coffee.

Drying begins on raised beds where the parchment is spread thinly to remove moisture quickly before being gathered into thicker layers for a slower drying period of five to ten days. Once stable the coffee is moved to private mills and rested in raised bodegas, allowing the parchment to breathe before export. The final lot is made up of classic Kenyan varieties including SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11, a balance of heritage and modern adaptation. Together they bring structure, sweetness and resilience, shaping the vivid and complex profile that defines Kihuyo.