CORNER OF THE CAFÉ
MOUTAIN AIR ROASTING
// KENYA GIAKANJA AA
I
n the 1930's the Kenyan government
commissioned Scott Labs to do some work
identifying, crossbreeding and cataloging
coffee varietals. Botanists crossbred different
mutations of Bourbon, Mocha and Typica on a
mission to find a coffee that was delicious, high
yielding and disease resistant. SL-28 and SL-34
were (and still are) the most popular varietals to
come out of this research. [You’ve probably figured
out by now that SL stands for ‘Scott Labs.’] SL-28
is a French Mission (Bourbon), Mocha and Typica
hybrid and SL-34 is a Fench Mission (Bourbon)
mutation. Combine this with excellent, acidic
loam soil and a unique washed processing method
[the coffee is fermented twice, washed and allowed
one final soak before being dried on raised beds]
and you set the stage for producing some of the
world’s best coffees.
This lot from the Giakanja washing station in the
Tetu division of Nyeri County is a beautiful representation of what a Kenyan coffee can be.
Giakanja is a coffee washing station, a wet mill,
and what is referred to in Kenya as a “factory”
Small washing stations are aligned with a particular “society” which is what they call a cooperative
in Kenya. In this case, Giakanja is part of the
Giakanja Farmers Cooperative Society. Giakanja
lies in the Tetu division of Nyeri county, and was
at one point in time part of Tetu FCS, lobbying
for single society status over 50 years ago. At this
THE BASICS
REGION
Nyeri, Kenya
FARM
Giakanja Washing Station
PRODUCER
smallholder farmers
ELEVATION
2000 meters above sea level
CULTIVARS
Ruiru-11, SL28, SL34
PROCESS
fully washed
CERTIFICATIONS
fully washed, raised bed dried
BREWING SPECS
METHOD
Kalita Wave
GRIND
12, Preciso
COFFEE / WATER / TEMP
21g / 300g / 202°
BLOOM / POUR
1:00 / 1:15 concentric pour