Kii

Kii

The small region in Kirinyaga that the Kii mill serves, surrounding the village of Ngariama, is mainly a tea-growing area, so most of the coffee plant stock is rather new. The region is known for very high quality of both tea and coffee; being planted somewhat later than neighbouring regions means soils haven’t been tired out by years of conventional agriculture, with its sprays and chemical fertiliser. We have visited the region several times, most recently in February of this year. Here, it is clear to witness the density of both coffee and tea plantation in the lush green landscape, enabled by the rich volcanic soils, relatively undisturbed by intensive conventional agriculture. North Eastern Kirinyaga is home to some of our favourite Kenyan coffees; Kii is run by the Rungeto Farmer’s Cooperative Society, who also own the Karimikui and Kiangoi stations, where we have purchased several lots in the past.

Each lot that is processed is kept separate throughout the process, allowing each to be cupped separately. This allows the management of the mill to assess patterns of quality and continuously improve. There is always a degree of unpredictability however, so cupping continuously is the only way to find the finest lots of the harvest, especially in recent years as hybrid varietals have increased in use, and many mills have increased capacity in an attempt to cash in on record prices for Kenyan coffee. For this reason, we cupped several hundred coffees together with exporters in Nairobi this winter, searching for the finest lots to share with you this season.