Mutheru, Kenya

Tasting notes

In the roaster’s words

Mutheru Factory is located on the slopes of the Aberdare Ranges in Kandara Sub-county, Murang'a County. It operates under the Kariua Farmers' Cooperative Society (FCS), which manages three other factories alongside Mutheru: New Irera, Mutitu, and Githaiti. The FCS has 2,200 active members, around 550 of whom deliver their cherry to Mutheru Factory, each farming an average of 250 trees. Murang'a County's volcanic soils and consistent rainfall make it one of Kenya's finest coffee-growing regions. Farmers deliver ripe cherries to the factory to be sorted, weighed, and processed, with payment based on cherry weight. This system incentivises careful, selective picking at the farm level. The cooperative grows four varieties: SL28 and SL34, developed by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in the 1930s and prized for their deep roots and complex flavour, and Ruiru 11 and Batian, newer disease-resistant cultivars from Kenya's Coffee Research Institute. Together they balance resilience with quality. Processing at Mutheru follows Kenya's exacting standards. Cherries are hand-harvested and sorted on arrival, pulped, fermented for 12 to 24 hours, and washed before being laid on raised drying beds for 7 to 21 days. The AB grade refers to bean size, slightly smaller screen than AA, but from the same farms and the same careful process. Expect tasting notes of blackcurrant, tamarind, wild cherry Recommended brew methods: Espresso, filter, cafetiere, Aeropress, stovetop 100% Mutheru AB, Kenya Producer: Mutheru Coffee Factory Region: Muranga County, Kenya Altitude: 1750-1850 MASL Processing: Washed Varieties: SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru 11

Notes

AB grade; Mutheru Factory operates under Kariua Farmers' Cooperative Society; tamarind tasting note mentioned but not in controlled vocabulary.