Specialty Coffee Kenya Mukurmali Washed

Mukurmali is a Kenyan microlot, produced by farmers united under KCCE, the Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters, a national farmer-owned cooperative founded in 2009 that gives a voice to small producers organized into cooperative societies and wet mills throughout the country.

The coffee grows in the Nyeri region, on the slopes of Mount Kenya. This is home to one of the world’s most celebrated coffee terroirs: deep, red volcanic soils rich in organic matter, altitudes ranging from 1,700 to 1,850 meters, and distinct seasons that mark the ripening of the cherries. These conditions are precisely what give Nyeri coffees their renowned structure and complexity.

The variety is SL28, perhaps Kenya’s most iconic. Selected in the 1930s by Scott Laboratories, it is prized for its extraordinary cup potential but is also notoriously difficult to cultivate: it has low yields and is susceptible to major diseases, making every pure SL28 lot a small treasure. The cherries are hand-picked selectively between October and December, with only fruit at the right stage of ripeness being harvested.

The coffee is processed using the traditional Kenyan washed method, with aerobic fermentation. After reception, the cherries are depulped and left to ferment, then washed and sorted by density before being slowly dried outdoors—a process designed to highlight the bean’s cleanliness and definition.

Pour-over:
Ground coffee: 15.5 g
Hot water: 250 g
Recommended filter: SIBARIST/Hario
Water temperature: 94°C
Steps (excluding Blooming): 4 of 55 g each
Water: 50–80 ppm
Total time: 2' 30" maximum

Espresso:
Ground coffee (double shot): 18.5 g
Beverage weight: 40 g
Recommended filter/shower screen: IMS Competition
Water temperature: 92°C
Pre-infusion: 6"
Water: 50–100 ppm
Total time: approximately 25–27"

Moka pot:

Ground coffee/Water ratio = 1:10
Moka pot: Bialetti/E&B Lab (IMS filter)
Water: 50–100 ppm
Total time: approximately 3'
Remove from heat just before it starts to gurgle