Kenya Gichathaini Peaberry

We are excited to offer our newest premium! Kenya Gichathaini Peaberry is a fantastic example of what makes Kenyan coffees so desired. Grown in the shadow of Mt. Kenya, the Gichathaini washing station processes coffee from the surrounding farms. Gikanda Farmers’ Cooperative Society grows the coffee and brings it to the which is a co-op made up of 1,045 small producers from the region ranging in size from backyard coffee to a few hectares in size at the most (1 hectare is about 2.5 acres). The average size is less than a hectare. This classic Kenyan profile of bright acidity, juicy fruit tones with a floral and citric finish is perfect for the coffee nerd in your life.

Peaberries are a naturally occurring phenomenon in coffee growing. About 5-10% of coffee are peaberries. This happens when the coffee cherry produces one bean instead of the normal two. When there are two coffee beans, they are against each other with the seams pushing together. In the absence of another bean pushing against it, it rounds the bean into a ball that looks like a pea!

During after the drying phase of the coffee processing, the peaberries are sometimes sorted out from the rest of the coffee and sold as an exclusive lot. This makes both lots have more consistent sizing and as a result, both the peaberry and non-peaberry coffees are better than they would be together! It’s a win-win.

SL-28 gets its name from Scott Laboratories, which cultivated and distributed SL-28 in 1931. It was first identified growing wild in the Monduli District inside of the Arusha Region of Tanzania by the border with Kenya. It was flagged because the region was in the middle of a drought and the coffee was still thriving. Testing by Scott Laboratories confirmed that it was a drought-resistant strain derived from the bourbon varietal that had changed while growing wild in isolation. The drought resistance makes it ideal for Eastern African production. Combined with little nutrition needed, high productivity, and high quality it became the gold standard for coffee in the region.

While it can be vulnerable to disease and coffee rust, if it is maintained appropriately its heartiness allows SL-28 trees to be productive for 80+ years! In comparison, most coffee varietals cease being productive after 7-20 years. This makes SL-28 one of the most sustainable varietals of coffee in the world… It’s also J’s favorite.