"Upon grinding, the dry aroma shows cranberry, hibiscus, and blackcurrant. On the palate, cranberry and jasmine tea lead, followed by tangy-sweet sour green apple, a touch of orange peel, and a hint of hawthorn. The cup is juicy, bright, and clean with a refreshing sweet-tart finish."
Rung’eto Kii AA is a cooperative-lot coffee produced at the Kii Coffee Factory, one of the washing stations operated by the Rung’eto Farmers Cooperative Society in Kenya. Cherry is delivered by smallholder members farming compact plots, where careful husbandry and selective picking are central to quality.
Kii sits in Kirinyaga on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya, an area known for cool nights, bright days, and steady growing rhythms that support slow cherry development. The factory is named after the river that crosses the site, and that same water source is used throughout washing and channel work. High elevation conditions here commonly contribute to dense seed structure and a vivid cup profile, especially when drying is paced carefully. In Kenya, “factory” refers to the central wet mill where member deliveries are received, processed, and dried before the coffee is prepared for export.
The AA designation refers to screen size grading, with AA representing the larger seed grades commonly separated after milling. The variety makeup is typical of quality-focused lots from central Kenya: SL28 and SL34 form the classic backbone, supported by newer cultivars such as Ruiru 11 and Batian. SL selections are valued for their expressive acidity and structure when grown at elevation, while Ruiru 11 and Batian were developed to improve resilience and farm viability. Together, this mix reflects both heritage planting and pragmatic renewal across member farms.
Processing follows a fully washed chronology with clear, sequential steps designed to preserve clarity. Freshly delivered cherry is sorted for ripeness and size, then pulped soon after intake. The parchment undergoes an overnight fermentation before being washed clean in channels, then graded during washing to separate density and quality fractions. Drying is done on raised tables or beds for roughly 8–14 days, with regular turning and protective covering at night to slow the final phase and keep moisture reduction even.
After drying, the coffee rests as parchment until it is milled and prepared into exportable green grades, where AA is separated by size. Alongside cup quality, some mill practices emphasize resource discipline, including water handling and encouraging farmers to compost discarded fruit for fertilizer. This combination of careful wet processing, paced drying, and cooperative organization is the core of why Kii is consistently identifiable year to year.
Variety : SL28, SL34,
Altitude : 1750 masl
Process : Fully Washed
Origin : Kirinyaga