The technology behind
Just add filtered water to enjoy one of our picks of the season.
These Steeped bags are a simple and elegant way to present a selection of the coffees we find most exciting, removing many brewing variables, and allowing quality and character to shine.
Individual doses are ground and sealed in nitrogen-flushed packages, maintaining the clear aromatic character of freshly ground coffee, for over a year after roasting.
The Oreti Estate
In January of 2022, we visited Boyce Harries at his Oreti Estate for the second time. Boyce’s work in converting his farming towards a more holistic, soil health based approach was inspiring, and we believe the results can be tasted. We walked through lush coffee fields, separated by an ample leguminous cover crop, grown under the shade of beautiful gravilea and macadamia trees. It was here that we witnessed the difficulty of growing traditional SL varietals. Boyce grows a mix of varietals across separate plots, and the high yield and vigour of especially the Ruiru 11 trees was clear to see. SL varietals are incredibly susceptible to fungal diseases like coffee leaf rust, and therefore require copious amounts of anti-fungal and herbicidal sprays in order to survive, alongside much higher levels of chemical fertiliser than Ruiru and Batian.
The cost of production and environmental impact of growing the SL varietals is therefore far higher than for more modern varietals. Boyce’s innovation continues in his work in traceability and micro-lot creation; small scale experimentation with varietal separation and alternative fermentations was an eye-opening experience to taste. A lot of pure Ruiru, processed as a natural, was a highlight.
This lot was grown on the Oreti Estate, harvested from SL28 trees in January 2023. This is the archetypal lot from Boyce’s farms, the strongest washed Kenya character is found here. Here, this comes across as black tea, blackberry, and blueberry, fresh, sweet and clean.
