Hits: 12
Beans: Keen Githembe, SL28, SL34, Batian, Kiambu, Kenya, Africa.
Shop: Keen Coffee, webshop, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Keen – Githembe: Background information.
The Keen Coffee Githembe comes from the beautiful country of Kenya. When you go north from Nairobi you will enter the Kiambu region, a region that is well known for the high quality coffees they produce. A little further up north you will bump into Githembe, a small area where the Thiririka Cooperation grows their coffee. It is at that location that Keen Coffee cupped the Githembe coffee and decided that they wanted to source it for the Dutch market. This Githembe comes from 1500 small farmers and three washing stations: Githembe, Kiganjo and Ndundu. The coffee is grown at an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level and is fermented for 12 – 14 hours. After the fermentation the coffee is brought to Kiganjo to dry. The coffee is fully washed.
Githembe: Opening the package.
When I posted a part of the package of Keen, it took only a couple of minutes before my followers knew to which roaster the package belonged. Keen has an artful package with stripes and a blue crystal-like figure on the front. There is also a label attached to the front where you can find information about the country, altitude, variety and process. On the back you will find an explanation of the name ‘Keen’ and what Keen Coffee stands for. There is also a card that comes with the coffee when you order it. That card displays all the information that you would want, including some info on the farm itself.
Keen
Adjective\’Ken\
An ability to think clearly and to understand what is not obvious or simple about something.
A fun thing I wanted to point out: in my package I found a button with Commander Keen inside!!! That game on the 386 PC was EPIC!!
The Opening of the package:
When I opened the package a clear and typical aroma came up: Tea, blackcurrant and a hint of dark chocolate. When eating a bean the first thing I notice is the slight bitter flavour of tea leafs with a fruity berry note appearing shortly after. The beans are evenly roasted and I could not find any defects inside the package. Let’s brew!
Githembe: The tasting.
I brewed this coffee on the V60, Aeropress and Siphon. The coffee was consistent on all three brewers although the Siphon was much cleaner. The best result came from the Aeropress with a lower temperature.
When brewing the Githembe I got a clear aroma of black tea with sweet berries. After the coffee cooled down, the aroma changed into full berries with a hint of citric fruit as well. When I took my first sip the lemony aspect of the coffee was right in my face. As the coffee swirled through my mouth, a rhubarb and grapefruit bitterness came forth and a soft black currant flavour appeared as well.
I let the coffee cool down a little and notice how the fruity berries come forth more clearly now. Black currant and blueberry mingle and even have a short burst of jammy sweetness. The jammy sweetness doesn’t stay for long but you’ll definitely notice it.
The best part about this coffee is the citric acidity that has a clear lemony aspect. It is there right from the start but doesn’t interfere with the flavours even when the coffee cools down. The mouthfeel is silky until the the tannins set in and give the coffee the rhubarb and grapefruit bitterness. The aftertaste lingers quite long which is nice. I suggest brewing this coffee on the Aeropress to get the most sweetness in your cup. Using the V60 gives off a balanced brew that is also VERY nice!
Keen – Githembe: the verdict.
Keen Coffee has roasted a very nice Kenya coffee with the Githembe. The citric acidity goes very well with the Black currant and blueberry, especially with that jammy spike of sweetness. The rhubarb and grapefruit bitterness is pleasant as a mouthfeel and gives the coffee a little extra. If you are all about the non-tomato Kenya, definitely try the Githembe. Well done Keen Coffee!!