Ethiopia is the genetic origin of Arabica, and coffee has been cultivated across its highlands for centuries, with indigenous heirloom varieties still forming the backbone of production today. Kenya's coffee story is much younger. Introduced in the late 19th century, its industry developed into a distinct tradition centred around cooperative mills, meticulous washed processing, and a small number of carefully selected varieties, most famously SL28.

For this month's subscription, we have chosen two coffees that offer contrasting expressions of East African coffee: a natural from the highlands of Sidama, Ethiopia, and a washed lot from the slopes of Mount Kenya. Both are rooted in smallholder cultivation and shaped by the altitude, soils, varieties, and people of their respective regions. Though the two countries are neighbours, they each represent a distinct tradition in flavor, farming, and coffee culture.

Arbegona

This lot is produced by smallholder farmers around Shantawene, in the Bensa district of Sidama. Shantawene lies between Bombe village and Bombe Mountain where coffee is mainly harvested by small-scale producers on the steep mountain slopes. Locally these producers are often described as “garden farmers” who grow coffee on small plots surrounding their homes and harvest cherries from trees growing on the land where they live.

Coffee production in Shantawene is closely tied to the smallholder system found throughout Ethiopia. Rather than large estates, coffee is grown in garden plots surrounding producers homes, often alongside other crops and beneath established shade trees. This small-scale system, together with the altitude and fertile soils of Bensa, provides the conditions for careful production of high-quality coffee.

This lot is composed of the Ethiopia heirloom variteies 74110 and 74112. After careful harvesting the cherries are processed naturally and then dried on raised beds before being carefully sorted and prepped for dry milling.

The producers contributing to this lot are members of the community surrounding Shantawene Kebele, where both Sidaamu and Amharic are spoken. Shantawene sits close to Bombe Mountain, within the high-altitude landscape of Bensa.

Kii

The small region in Kirinyaga that the Kii mill serves, surrounding the village of Ngariama, is mainly a tea-growing area, so most of the coffee plant stock is rather new. The region is known for very high quality of both tea and coffee; being planted somewhat later than neighbouring regions means soils haven’t been tired out by years of conventional agriculture, with its sprays and chemical fertiliser. We have visited the region several times, most recently in February of this year. Here, it is clear to witness the density of both coffee and tea plantation in the lush green landscape, enabled by the rich volcanic soils, relatively undisturbed by intensive conventional agriculture. North Eastern Kirinyaga is home to some of our favourite Kenyan coffees; Kii is run by the Rungeto Farmer’s Cooperative Society, who also own the Karimikui and Kiangoi stations, where we have purchased several lots in the past.

This lot from Kii has a bright character reminiscent of fresh redcurrant, balanced by the richness of black tea and molasses.

Rungeto FCS

The Rungeto cooperative is very professionally run; their cherry selection, fermentation, sorting and separation is of incredibly high quality, leading to excellent coffee. The cherries are first de-pulped mechanically, as soon as they arrive at the factory. The cherries should arrive for de-pulping as soon as possible after picking, hence why cooperatives make a great effort to have factories located close to concentrations of smallholders. After de-pulping, the seeds are covered in a layer of sticky fruity pulp, or mucilage. The mucilage is fermented in large tanks for between 12 and 24 hours, breaking it down to a point that it can be thoroughly ‘washed’ from the seeds, using long washing channels.

Then, before drying, the cherries are taken to another set of fermentation tanks, and fermented again under water, normally for a shorter time, between 10 and 12 hours. This ‘double soak’ is popular in Kenya, and is useful not only for enhancing the cleanliness and intensity of the final cup, but also as a second opportunity to sort for lower density floating seeds, as these are often of lower quality, or from unripe cherries.

A taste of East Africa

Together, these coffees offer just a glimpse of the diversity found across East Africa. Different in origin, variety, and processing, they share a common foundation in high-altitude coffee growing and the work of the smallholder producers who make these distinctive coffees possible.