PLOT ROASTING, KAPTEGA ESTATE

Characteristics

Farm: Coletive of small holders

Producer:Kaptega Estate

Region: Uasin Gishu County

Altitude:1,800 - 2,200 masl

Variety: Ruiru 11, SL-28

Processing: Washed

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FYI this bag is 200gs. Uasin Gishu County - a relatively new coffee growing region. Sourced by Vava Coffee, this lot is rich and moreish with notes of ripe raspberry, dried prune and stewed rhubarb. This process was designed to minimise the danger of off-flavours caused by uncontrolled fermentation during the natural process. The cherries are usually sorted using a floatation tank where any under-ripe or defective fruits will float to the top and can be removed. The remaining cherries are then pulped and left in a tank to ferment until the sticky fruit mucilage is soft enough to be washed off the parchment, which is a paper-like layer surrounding the seed. The design and cleanliness of the tanks is important, and the degree and speed of fermentation will depend on many variables including how much fruit remains, what bacteria and yeasts are present, whether the tank is filled with water, and the environmental conditions. Once the mucilage has degraded sufficiently it is washed away using water and the remaining parchment coffee, as it’s commonly called, is dried until it reaches a safe moisture content. The bacteria and sugar-rich water used in the process needs to be treated carefully as it can cause algae blooms if it finds its way into streams and rivers. In situations where large amounts of coffee is processed in bulk like Ethiopia, it has proven economical for some operations to use a mechanical demucilager, removing all the fruit from the parchment with minimal water, and foregoing the fermentation stage completely. This however, is believed by some to lead to a reduction in cup quality as many pre-cursors for flavour are created through fermentation.