"Upon grinding, vibrant salted plum and grapefruit aromas rise from the cup, accented by bright citrus notes. On the palate, guava and star fruit unfold with juicy clarity, balanced by gentle orange sweetness. The finish is crisp and refreshing, with a lingering citrus-savoury lift."

Kamavindi Estate is a family-run coffee farm in Embu, established in 1958 by John Njiru Mbature and his wife, Anna Rwamba, when local coffee planting was still tightly restricted. What began as a small planting of around 100 trees grew steadily as restrictions were lifted, with the family expanding both acreage and capability over time. The estate is now led by the third generation, with Peter Mbature managing operations alongside his mother Hellen Weveti and sister Gladwell Wanjira. Their focus is practical and long-term: strengthen field standards, keep processing in-house, and build knowledge systems that can be shared through training and outreach.

The farm sits in Embu County on the southeastern side of Mount Kenya’s highlands, where elevation and temperature swing support slower cherry development and higher seed density. This lot comes from a band of high altitude, recorded at 1784–1810 meters above sea level. Average ambient temperature is noted around 20°C, a range that tends to preserve acidity structure when harvest timing is precise. In this setting, clean water access and drying airflow become as important as agronomy, because the environment rewards controlled fermentation and steady parchment drying.

SL28 is the primary variety for this lot, chosen in Kenya for its cup potential and its ability to remain expressive under highland conditions when carefully managed. At Kamavindi, SL28 is not treated as a single-season decision but as a replanting direction, increasing its share as older plantings are renewed. The variety’s performance depends heavily on selective harvesting, because ripeness indicators can vary and uneven cherry quickly shows up in washed lots. By concentrating on varietal clarity and disciplined cherry intake, the estate positions SL28 to show structure rather than fermentation imprint.

Harvest is carried out by hand, with ripe cherry selection followed by density sorting to remove floaters and underdeveloped fruit before milling. The processing for this coffee is the K72 protocol, a 72-hour washed approach built around staged fermentation and washing. After pulping, the coffee undergoes a controlled fermentation phase of about 24 hours, followed by washing to remove loosened mucilage. A second dry fermentation phase of roughly 48 hours follows, after which the coffee is washed again and moved to raised beds for drying, with bed covering used to manage drying pace through hot daytime conditions and to protect parchment from night moisture.

Variety : SL28
Altitude : 1784–1810 masl
Process : K72 (72-hour washed)
Origin : Embu