SL28, SL34, Batian, & Ruiru 11 varieties, washed process
Roasted for filter brewing

Red currants, candied citrus, and soft plum

Fresh Cuts: Vol. 1 is a limited edition, collaborative filter roast developed alongside our friends at Audrey Coffee on Hobart's Eastern Shore.

Together with Pete and his team, we've set out to choose a vibrant, playful, and expressive coffee to roast for filter brewing. Sharing samples and comparing notes from across Bass Strait, we've worked together to get Fresh Cuts right where we want it.

This first edition features a peaberry selection from the Giakanja factory in Nyeri, Kenya.

Giakanja is supplied with cherries by local smallholder farmers, typically growing coffee on plots of land generally smaller than one hectare with 250-300 trees on average.

The Giakanja washing station has been around since 1968, and is owned and managed by a cooperative society of local farmers. Until 2000, the washing station was under the umbrella of a large union, and since managing to gain independence the society has received support and training from both Technoserve and exporter Sucafina.

This lot is comprised of SL28, SL34, Batian and Ruiru 11 varieties. Batian and Ruiru both have disease-resistant properties and are known for their high yield, while the SL varieties are generally better-tasting and helpful where water resources are scarce, as they have deep root systems which allows them to access water deep in the ground.

Cherries are sorted for defects and only the dense, ripe cherries are accepted. They are then pulped on a 2-stage McKinnon pulper, floated and soaked for 12-24 hours, and then washed and dried on raised beds. Once dried, and prior to export, the coffee is ‘dry milled’ where the papery layer protecting the coffee bean is removed. The beans are then graded by size, with AA being the largest, followed by AB, PB being the peaberry, and further on, which is where this particular lot is a little different.

Peaberries are significantly smaller, rounded coffee beans — the result of a genetic mutation in which only one seed forms inside the cherry instead of the usual two. This means that there’s no other bean to press up against during ripening, causing the round, pea-like shape that gives the coffee its name.

This is a great representation of a Kenyan coffee — deliciously ripe with red currant, candied citrus, and soft plum.

This is our first year purchasing from Giakanja, and we have done so through our import partners, Sucafina.