Tasting Notes: Blood orange, blackberry, pomegranate, floral, brown butter, dark chocolate
Process: Double-fermented anaerobic with citric acid
Variety: Bourbon (N39), Kent, SL-28, and SL-34, TACRI, Ruiru-11, Batian
Average Altitude: 1600 - 1800masl
Roast: Light
12oz Zippered Bag
Finagro Estate is a coffee paradise. Natural forest canopy shades the trees over the combined 600 hectares of land, much of which is left to natural forest. There are four new reservoirs and a dam allowing efficient irrigation and conservation of water. Growing mainly Kent (a Bourbon variety first cultivated in India) along with newly maturing SL-28s and SL-34s, and other newer Kenyan cultivars, the clear focus is quality, and it’s exhilarating to see the attention and dedication of two young farmers who are clearly resolved to make the most of their very special corner of the planet.
“Citric carbonic” is the Vohoras’ label for a multi-step process that begins with fresh-picked whole cherry. The coffee cherry is pre-dosed with powdered citric acid and then fermented fully anaerobically in a sealed tank with a one-way release valve for oxygen; this is commonly known as “carbonic maceration” in reference to the fermentation environment that becomes saturated with carbon dioxide as the oxygen is pushed out, forcing the fruit to undergo an internal fermentation that intensifies the fruit flavor in the cup very differently from a natural process.
After staying in the anaerobic chamber for 2-4 days the coffee is depulped and fermented like a traditional washed coffee in tile-lined tanks. Once the full fermentation is complete, the parchment is dried on raised beds for approximately a week. The resulting cup is in fact deeply fruited and lush with berry jam, sweet cream, a blood orange-like acidity, and nuanced baking spice throughout.
