Nyota AB — Kenyan / Washed Process

Origin
This coffee comes to us from the Central Highlands of Kenya, with the help of our importing partner Cofinet. Nyota, meaning “Star” in Swahili, is the name of the group of washing stations that have contributed to this coffee. These washing stations have had their lots compiled before undergoing several rounds of sorting and quality assessment.

Every country has its own grading system, Kenya’s being denoted by letter grades. Coffees are first sorted by screen size (AA being the largest, AB slightly smaller, and so on), and subsequently graded based on various factors such as varietal and altitude, and finally quality. This particular coffee is an AB Plus, meaning it is composed of the highest quality AB lots.

Project
The coffees are then brought to auction (as is custom in Kenya), and cupped blind, so that no external bias can affect the outcome. The Nyota group’s coffees stood out first to our friends at Cofinet, and then again to us.

This coffee is an excellent example of how various lots can, when the sorting and grading of coffees is well executed, be blended together in order to achieve a consistent flavour profile along with the volume that can make it more attractive to the market. This is the same principle we see applied to regional blends, whereby producers are given access to the specialty market to sell coffees they otherwise would not have had the volume to do so. The entire harvest of a single producer can be made up of various different qualities, and the ideal situation is that this producer can have the ability to sell their entire harvest.

Coffee
Whilst Kenya is most famous for coffees characterised by bright juicy acidity and full-bodied bergamot notes, the Nyota AB shows a different side of what the country has to offer. This coffee stands out for its immaculately clean cup profile, and the ease with which one can enjoy it. A subtle red fruits acidity is well balanced against a milk chocolate sweetness, and a comfortable texture, making the Nyota AB a coffee that can be enjoyed at any hour of the day.