Kenya - Gatomboya AB #027 [25/26]

Tasting notes

In the roaster’s words

Turning in a staple of our yearly Kenyan offer, we've always been massive fans of the outturns from Gatomboya factory, for many years before we started Scenery. It's a pleasure to see this coffee return each year; this year we've chosen a different profile - an AB lot with singing acidity and complex top notes, as we had a few heavy purple Kenyans already booked. We think you can split Kenya into 3 distinct "colours" now - Purple (the classic savoury rich currant/tomato vibe), Red (lighter red fruits and jammy but perhaps not quite as umami or rich), and Yellow (stonefruit, citrus and florals). This lot is emphatically the last, Brew Guide: Best Brewed with: Filter Lightest Roaster Influence: We've eased off the heat a little, subjecting these slightly smaller beans to a slightly less intense blast than we do for AA's. This has extended the overall roast time a little, but with good results - we found when we yeeted it on our standard Kenyan sample roast profile, it wanted to come out a little under & more malty tea-like than we'd prefer. A fractional more roaster influence perhaps in the cup, but all the better for it and still miles off what we'd call "Light" Best Rested: 4+ weeks. Filter: 64g/L, 96°C when fresh; 92°C & 62g/L when rested Espresso: 18g/48g/18-22s We're tasting: This year's Gatomboya lot is a little more of the modern "yellow fruit Kenya" style - we're finding floral and citric aromatics that remind us of darjeeling tea and lemon. In the cup there's yellow plum, nectarine and white mulberries as the dominant note, with a tart gooseberry esq acidity. As it cools we get lime curd, white grape, rosehip and oolong in a bright and complex cup. Traceability Country of Origin: Kenya Region: Konyu, Mathira, Nyeri County Producer: 700 smallholders in the Barichu FCS Farm: Gatomboya Factory Variety: SL-28, SL-34, Batian, Ruiru 11 Elevation: Farm: 1400 - 2000 MASL. Factory at 1770 MASL Process: Traditional Washed: Ripe cherries are handpicked and delivered to Gatomboya, where they are sorted by ripeness before pulping. The pulper (typically an Agaarde disc machine) removes skin and pulp, with the coffee graded into first and second quality as it flows down to holding tanks via density channels. Grade 1 and Grade 2 lots are fermented separately in shaded, closed tanks for 16-24 hrs. After fermentation, the parchment is washed and graded again in channels, with lower-density material floated off and removed. The clean parchment is then soaked under fre

Notes

AB lot from Gatomboya Factory; described as a modern yellow fruit Kenya style with tart acidity. Recommended rest is 4+ weeks. Brew guide: Filter 64g/L at 96°C when fresh; 92°C and 62g/L when rested. Espresso recipe provided: 18g in, 48g out, 18-22s.