Kenya Nkumari, P1 C

Clean and elegant…break seal for a special occasion!

Tastes Like:

Floral, grapefruit aroma with bright, tangy acidity. Round, almost savory, caramel low balance.

Notes and Notes:

WBCR chose this Kenya P1 C for a balanced roundness to complement  high brightness. Quality coffees from Kenya are known for this unique acidity, and for their relatively large-sized beans, but our selection is small and mighty. On a crowded Kenya offers table of just coffee cups - and no whole beans to observe - we chose this stunner.  Nkumari left a bright and sparkling impression that we couldn’t pass up. Honestly, it {pleasantly} surprised us.  This coffee is best enjoyed as an aeropress, pour over or filter brew. We suggest you drink it clean and neat and especially if you take your coffee black. The fruitiness opens up as it cools slightly, but take in the aroma while it’s still fresh off the brew. You’ll want to enjoy all that this has to offer.

What’s in it:

Washed Process. Dried on raised beds. Variety: SL28 and Ruiru 11 (which are exclusive varieties to Kenya). Farm: Nkumari.  Producer: Naman Meme. Region: Meru. Elevation: 1400 meters above sea level. Roast level: lightest roast on the menu! To roast any deeper would obliterate the bright fruit we were looking to showcase.

The Full Story:

Producer Naman Meme manages the well-ordered Nkumari Estate in Kenya’s Meru region, where SL28 and Ruiru11 varieties grow under macadamia shade. Undugu refers to the purveyor’s traceable farm system that focuses on monitoring crops throughout the growing year and culminates in quality control practices known as double-coded legacy Q Grading.  Slow maturation of coffee fruit is the result of warm days and cool nights, which is also a result of products grown at higher altitudes. A slow ripening ensures a complex sweetness and high acidity. The nuance shows up in the way fruit flavors are carried along with the acidity - a hallmark of an exemplary specialty coffee.

Measured in 1/64th of an inch increments, raw coffee seeds are passed through screens to be categorized. Producing countries use different labels. For instance, Kenya and Tanzania grade a screen size 18 as "AA" and a screen size 16 as "AB". Colombia uses terms like "Supremo" (large, screen 17–18+) and "Excelso" (slightly smaller), but uniform beans and expert preparation matter more for flavor consistency than the sheer physical size, (read: size doesn't matter) This limited selection comes in at a C, or 14 screen.

Sourced from the Meru region of Kenya, the Kenya Nkumari, P1 C is a single-producer lot cultivated by Naman Meme. This coffee features the SL28 varietal, a plant selection historically celebrated for its distinct acidity and complex profile. Expertly roasted by Wrecking Ball Coffee, this lot undergoes a washed process, a method typically employed to highlight the inherent clarity and brightness of the bean.

In the cup, the coffee presents a balance of floral aromatics, vibrant grapefruit acidity, and a sweet caramel finish. While individual experiences may vary, those exploring the flavor wheel often find that washed coffees from this region offer a clean, structured mouthfeel. By focusing on the specific terroir of Meru and the meticulous preparation of the SL28 varietal, this offering provides a clear expression of the producer's work at 1400 masl.