08. AB Kiri

Classic Kenyan, but with an abstract acidty

The Coffee

AB Kiri is another exceptional nano lot from the talented group at Nordic Approach, Oslo. Nordic's view is that if you want to be the one to find and buy the best coffees out there, you must pay a premium for them, thus supporting the farmers that go the extra mile to produce such unbelievable quality, encouraging quality and the premiums they receive in return.

Kenya (alongside Ethiopia) is one of their favourite stomping grounds, are year after year they manage to source the most amazing selections of Kenyan lots that anyone can find. It's a product of their skilled staff on the ground, and their ongoing relationships they have with a range of coops and washing stations that are willing to push the boundaries of speciality coffee farming and processing.

AB refers to the grading of the coffee bean sizes, with AA being the highest. Some believe that these references to size, relates directly to quality, but this is not always 100% accurate, with some AB lots proving far stronger than AA lots considering cup quality.

This particular AB is nothing short of exceptional, offering a mix of some 'classic' Kenyan characteristics alongside some more unusual flavours and in this case - mouthfeel & acidity.

It's rich, dense and full of dark fruits as you would expect from a high grade Kenyan. However, this sits within a somewhat surprising sherbet like fizz, akin to the kind of lactic acid output of a great quality anaerobic (low intervention) red wine - think fizzy raspberry wine. This is supported by rich bramble notes, held together by a big raspberry jam body. An intense and amazing coffee.

Producers: Ngiriambu Farmers Cooperative Society

Region: Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Varietal: SL, Batian, Ruiru 11

Elevation: 1450 MASL

Shines on Chemex, Kalita or Orea

Weight: 250g

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The Farmers / Co-Op

The Kiri factory is run by the Ngiriambu Farmers Cooperative Society. It is located in Central Province, Kirinyaga County, near Kianyaga town. Out of the cooperative’s 1400 members, 1200 are active while 200 are not.

The factory lies at an altitude of approximately 1450 masl in a region with red soil. The farmers who deliver cherry to this factory generally cultivate SL varieties. The farms they work on are small, usually smaller than 1ha.

Flower season happens between March and April and also between September and October. Harvest runs from May to June and from November to December. The long rains fall between March-May while the short rains come between October and December.

After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight to break down the sugars, before travelling through channels to the soaking tank where the coffee is carefully cleaned, soaked and spread out on the raised drying tables.

Time on the drying tables depends on the climate, ambient temperature and total production volume undergoing processing. Drying can take from 7 to 15 days in total. Continuous sorting and hand-turning of the parchment takes place throughout the drying process.

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Signatures

Representing the apex of speciality coffee as we know it, Signatures is our new range of premium coffee, marking a new era of excellence at Machina Coffee Roasters.

Some releases will have experimental processes, unusual origins, rare varieties - but all of them, we guarantee, will be outrageously delicious. Simply put, these coffees are the best we have ever sourced.

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Wholesale

We are always looking to work with likeminded businesses to serve our coffee.

If you're interested in serving this locally roasted Edinburgh coffee as your main offering, a guest appearance or as bags of retail, get in touch with us on roastery@machina-coffee.co.uk or call (0131) 656 9565.
Roasting Schedule

Your coffee will be roasted within 1-16 days of purchase, with a shelf life of 6 weeks (optimum serving point at 12-36 days old). We recommend letting this coffee rest for at least 12 days before using, in order to release excess gas which can impact the flavour of your cup.

If you would like your coffee fresh, please leave a note with your order and we will do our best to accommodate.
Delivery & Returns

Delivery
We offer UK and international shipping Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.
Orders usually take between 1-2 days within the UK, but may take up to 3 days to get to you. Orders of espresso machines and grinders may take 2-3 days longer, due to the additional bench testing service we provide. For the full particulars, please see our terms and conditions.

Returns
Returned items must be unused and be returned in original packaging with any enclosed documentation and in perfect resalable condition. Once the goods have been received back and checked, as per our terms and conditions, we will issue a full refund or exchange on receipt.

For full details on our range of shipping services please click here
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