Specialty Coffee Advent Calendar – 2021

Dec 6

Chinga

Producer: Othaya FCS
Origin: Nyeri, Kenya
Roaster: La Cabra
Cultivar: SL28
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1800 masl
Taste Profile: A fruity & balanced coffee
Roast Date: 11.11.2021

Chinga

This lot is from the Chinga station in Nyeri, our second lot of the season from the Othaya cooperative. This year they have struggled with lower yields than normal, and an ageing farmer population means the future of their cooperative looks rather unstable. Attracting younger farmers through more sustainable business conditions and more involvement in the supply chain is also part of Long Miles’ aims for the future. Lack of space on drying tables during the peak harvest season was also an issue, so they have invested in larger tables for next year. Like many Kenyan lots from this region, the coffee that makes up this lot has been grown in fertile volcanic soil, rich in natural phosphorous, leading to both high quality and yield. This washed lot is over 90% SL28 and SL34, also leading to high quality in the cup due to the lack of rust resistant Robusta hybrids. This varietal make up, alongside the rich soil conditions and careful processing, lead to a soft and rich Kenyan profile, with stewed fruit, and a body reminiscent of fruit poaching liquid.

The Long Miles Project in Kenya

We have been looking forward to this new project from our long term partners at Long Miles for some time. We’ve been working together with the Long Miles team since 2014, and during this time they have made great strides in Burundian coffee; bringing vibrant and varying lots of coffee to roasters and consumers, while also bringing a sense of stability and prosperity to large groups of farmers in rural northern Burundi.

They now aim to create a similarly fair and equitable system in Kenya. Although a much more established and stable coffee origin, there are still several challenges facing producers here. The dominant cooperative structure here leads to a power dynamic in which producers end up into long term agreements with regard to things like payment and fertiliser use. Often these agreements can be mutually beneficial, but we have heard of some instances of questionable practices. For example, as a farmer who can only harvest and therefore sell coffee once per year, it’s often necessary to ask for an advance from the cooperative in order to keep food on the table. These advances are often available, but involve locking in the entirety of the next harvest with the cooperative at a rate far below the market price, as a type of interest. Cooperatives who aim to produce large amounts of high value ‘AA’ lots, consisting of very large beans, push small producers to use a great deal of chemical fertiliser on their farms, often in collaboration with fertiliser companies. This high level of fertiliser usage, while leading to the required large bean size, is a threat to groundwater supplies and a direct threat to producer’s health

The Thunguri Mill

Long Miles are aiming to break this structure, and support producers in the same way they do in Burundi. They have purchased a mill in Nyeri, Thunguri, and have processed a small amount of coffee here during the past harvest season. They have already begun to assemble a team of young agronomists who will serve the same role as the Coffee Scouts team in Burundi. Based at the Long Miles Thunguri mill, they will provide agronomic advice and support to the farmers delivering. The first production from Thunguri was very small, but Long Miles are committed to growing slowly, building trust within the community and creating a real difference for their partner coffee farmers, just as they have in Burundi. Furthermore, Long Miles are in discussions about a small plot of land in western Kenya, not far from the border with Uganda, where they look to establish their own farm, planted from scratch with a focus on regenerative farming practices. The reforestation work started in Burundi with the ‘Trees for Kibira’ project will continue here, planting green belts of trees and encouraging shade-grown coffee.

The coffees we have purchased this year are part of the start-up phase of Long Miles Kenya. As the production from Thunguri was so small, Long Miles have worked together with some neighbouring mills, visiting and participating in their quality control procedures. They have then exported these coffees through their existing channels, involving roaster partners like us in this early stage of the project. We see these coffees as an investment in the future of Long Miles’ project in Kenya, and will be following developments closely over the coming seasons, and hope to share as much as possible with you. It’s very exciting to have one of our closest and most trusted partners involved in one of our favourite origins, and have every confidence that this is just the start of a fruitful and delicious adventure.

La Cabra

We believe specialty coffee is not about the grand gestures, but about small and beautiful things done well. Whether it is a heavy sweet natural Brazilian or a crisp acidic washed Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia, we will always aim for brightness. We can do this because we are choosing to roast only the best coffees available to us, and this is a long journey, one we are honored to be taking part in. We’re combining the knowledge of producers, agronomists, chemists, engineers, roasters and bariasts to innovate and understand the complexity of coffee. The purpose is that, when you drink the right cup of coffee you can taste that it took an insatiable curiosity and the uttermost passion in the making. Roasting should be done in the slightest and should serve only to reveal and brighten up the characteristics of the coffee varietal we are working with.

La Cabra Coffee is an award-winning micro roastery in Aarhus, Denmark. Home of five national champions.

https://www.lacabra.dk/

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