Kenya Kieni Nyeri is juicy and bright, a classic example of a famous coffee producing country.

Kenya Nyeri takes its name from the region in which it is grown – Nyeri County – an area on the south-western flanks of Mt Kenya, Africa's second largest mountain. Nyeri is known for producing high-quality coffee, with a beautiful combination of juicy sweetness combined with bright acidity and elegant spice notes. 

This month’s Bean of the Month brings peach and chamomile aromas, stonefruit flavours with a twist of aniseed liquorice, and a crisp, clean lime acidity that lingers into the finish. 

COFFEE ORIGIN

Country: Kenya
Region: Nyeri
Co-operative: Mugaga Farmers Cooperative Society
Mill: Kieni
Varietals: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1650 – 1850m above sea level.

Kenya Nyeri is juicy and bright, a classic example of a famous coffee producing country. Grown on the south-western flank of Mt Kenya and meticulously tended by a group of smallholder farmers, this is a gorgeous fully-washed coffee with flavours of peach and aniseed liquorice, lime acidity, and peach and chamomile aromatics.

There are more than 600,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya and they generate 70% of the coffee produced in the country. All of these producers are organised into Farmer Cooperative Societies, and Kenya Nyeri is the work of Mugaga Farmers Cooperative Society. This is a stark contrast to the beginnings of coffee in Kenya, when British colonial laws dictated that only white settlers could own and run coffee farms. 

Since independence in 1963, Kenya has grown to be a powerhouse of the international coffee scene, and a great favourite amongst specialty coffee fans. Kenya Nyeri delivers a complex flavour profile to suit all brew methods, with each showing a different facet of the coffee.

Extracted through an espresso machine it’s a stonefruit jam, with a twist of aniseed sophistication. Plunger and aeropress is perfect for the acidity averse, elevating body and sweetness. Filter/pourover amplifies the peach lime brightness, clean, crisp and altogether special.

TASTING NOTES & CUPPING PROFILE 

Aromas: peach, chamomile
Flavours: stone fruit, aniseed, liquorice
Acidity: crisp, clean lime
Body: medium
Aftertaste: lingering lime
Cupping Score: 87/100

BREW GUIDE

Merlo’s Bean of the Month is a great coffee to experiment with and Kenya Nyeri is a particularly multi-faceted cup which offers different flavour profiles depending on the brew method. 

Espresso machine: rich and sweet, the stonefruits become jammy and the aniseed liquorice adds perfect depth and character. The crispness created by the washed processing cuts beautifully through the heaviness of milk, and gives a bright finish to a long black or espresso. 

Plunger/Aeropress: a great option for the acidity averse, these full immersion methods bring forward the sweetness and reduce the sharpness of the lime. Fruit jam flavours dominate and the cleanliness of the cup counterbalances the heaviness of plunger coffee.

Filter/Pourover: this is where Kenya Nyeri can go all out. Filter coffee removes the oil and amplifies acidity. So anyone looking for a peach/lime spritz type flavour will find that kind of cup under a V60 or in the bottom of a chemex.