Country: Kenya
Region: Rukira Village, Nyeri
Varietal: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1,868 MASL
Cupping Notes: Blueberry Muffin, Orange, Bubblegum, Floral
Recommended Roast:City to Full City
Good For:Pour Over, Auto Drip, Espresso

Description: The Rukira Factory sits between the Mumwe and Thuti Rivers, both of which originate from the Aberdare Ranges. This area, between the Aberdare Ranges and Mount Kenya is famous for producing some incredible coffees. Speaking of incredible coffees, the Rukira Factory has come a long way from its establishment in 1979, taking first place at the East African Fine Coffee Association’s Taste Of Africa Kenya Chapter. The factory belongs to the Othaya Farmers Cooperative Society, and itself supports 545 smallholder farmers, 354 male and 191 women. For processing, it’s important to note that naturally processed coffee from Kenya is somewhat uncommon, we actually bought all that we could from these two lots and it only amounted to 19 bags. On a trip to Kenya in 2017, we were told that naturals historically have a negative connotation. Naturals were called “Mbuni” and was thought of as the coffee that never fully ripened on the tree so it was left there until it was fully dried, resulting in a poor cup quality and sold only on the local markets. Today that is no longer the case, the Kenyan coffee industry has seen the success of naturally processed coffees and responded accordingly with coffees like this one. Rukira Natural is such a fun natural, it stands apart from Ethiopian Naturals with a unique sweetness that we think is reminiscent of Bubblegum, and has flavors of Blueberry Muffin, Orange, and a Floral finish.