Foundry Coffee Roasters: Kenya, Karatu-Gitwe Farmer Co-operative, Washed, Whole bean

You've just got to love a peaberry, right? There's just something about them. Incredibly juicy and intense in flavour. There are floral hints of bergamot and fruit notes which remind us of peach and limes. On cooling, you might pick up a note of rich tomato, a bit like a really good Italian pizza sauce. Fabulous espresso and delightful filter coffee, you'll just keep coming back to this one. Peaberries are always exciting to come by and this one is no exception.

For those that don't know, these are coffee 'beans' (or seeds, more accurately) that are found on their own in the fruit. Usually, we get two seeds in each fruit but these are rare and special.

The Karatu 'factory' was established in 1965 and is positioned on 11 acres of land which services the villages of Karatu, Gitwe, Kibiru and Kigaa. Currently, it is affiliated to Gitwe Farmer Co-operative Society Ltd. Its membership has 700 active farmers in from these 4 villages. During the harvest, coffee is delivered to the station where the coffee is graded according to cherry selection. The ripe cherries are separated from under-ripes, over-ripes and any foreign matter. From here the coffee is then de-pulped and fermented in tanks for 24 hours. After this, the coffee is washed and taken to raised beds for drying which happens over 10-14 days weather depending.