This is our second year purchasing coffee from the Gathaithi site in Nyeri. Most of the coffees we have tasted from Kenya this year—including this one—have had a much softer profile than those of years past. In the cup we find a yellow profile of tropical fruit, tea, and honey.
SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru 11
Nyeri
1,720 masl
December, 2023
Hand-sorted to ensure only the very best cherries are selected. Pulped. Fermented overnight. Floated through channels to sort by density and remove any remaining defects. Soaked and cleaned in fresh water. Dried on raised beds for 15 days while continuously being turned and hand-sorted.
Gathaithi Cooperative is located on the side of Mt. Kenya in Nyeri County. Registered in 2000, it currently has 1,656 active members, growing mostly SL28 and SL34, with a very small percentage of the hybrid varieties Ruiru 11 and Batian. This particular selection comes from their 'later' or 'main' harvest, which runs from September through mid-January.
“SL” is in reference to single tree selections made by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in 1935-1939. SL34 has a Typica-like genetic background selected from a single tree on the Loresho Estate in Kabete, Kenya. SL28 is of the Bourbon genetic group, and was selected for its drought resistance as well as its extremely high cup quality. SL28 is one of the most well-known and well-regarded varieties in Africa. It has consequently spread from Kenya to other parts of Africa as well as Central and South America. Both varieties are non-hybrid and very susceptible to disease.
Ruiru 11 is a Catimor hybrid that owes its existence to a coffee berry disease epidemic in 1968 that lead to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production. The crisis sparked action. In the 1970s, the coffee research station at Ruiru—which gives Ruiru 11 its name—began an intensive breeding program of varieties that are immune to coffee berry disease, ultimately leading to the release of Ruiru 11 in 1985.
Batian is resistant to both leaf rust and coffee berry disease. It was created via single-tree selections from fifth filial (F5) generations from the male parent of some Ruiru 11 progenies. Batian is a composite variety, mixing three different pure line varieties. The varieties involved in the original crosses are SL28, SL34, Rume Sudan, N39, K7, SL4 and Timor Hybrid.
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.