Kenya Spikes Estate by Manasseh Kibochi
Tastes: Raspberry, rhubarb, juicy
Variety: SL 28
Region: Gitwe District, Kiambu
Process: Fully washed & dried on raised beds
Altitude: 1700-1800 m
Importer: Catalogue Coffee
This thrilling lot was cultivated by second-generation producer Manasseh Kibochi at his five-hectare, high-altitude farm in the Gitwe district of Kiambu. The Spikes Estate owes its name to another business run by Manasseh – share taxis (the first of which he called Spikes). Kenya's omnipresent matatus (ultra-embellished, privately operated minibuses) are the mode of transport for most here. At 1,700 to 1,800 meters above sea level, Spikes Estate benefits from the growing conditions that produce a dense and complex cup.
Cherry is handpicked and hand pulped. Fermented in mucilage for 16-24 hours, cherry undergoes a second fermentation in clean water for an additional 24 hours. Wet parchment is laid out to dry on raised beds for 10-18 days.