CROWN JEWEL KENYA NYERI KAMOINI TRIPLE WASHED

In the highlands of Nyeri County, on the slopes that fall away from Mount Kenya, smallholder farmers carry their ripe cherry to the Kamoini factory. Each contribution is small. Together, they produce one of the most coveted profiles in the coffee world.

OriginKenya RegionNyeri, Kamoini Elevation1,800-2,000m ProcessTriple Washed VarietySL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 The Source

Nyeri, Kenya's Coffee Heartland

Nyeri sits in Kenya's central highlands, where red volcanic soil and cool mountain air combine to produce coffee that defines what people mean when they call a cup "Kenyan." The Kamoini factory was established in 1987 and operates under the Othaya Farmers Cooperative Society, one of around twenty washing stations the cooperative runs across the county. Roughly 600 active members deliver ripe cherry here, picked by hand from small plots tended between other crops.

The factory draws its processing water from the nearby Ichamama river. At elevations between 1,800 and 2,000 meters, cherry matures slowly, concentrating sugars and acids in the seed. The dominant variety is SL28, a low-yielding but high-quality cultivar selected in the 1930s and prized across Kenya for its structure and clarity, planted alongside SL34 and disease-resistant Ruiru 11.

The Craft

Three Stages of Water

The triple washed method is Kenya's signature, and Kamoini follows it precisely. Cherry first passes a pre-fermentation float that lifts away unripe and damaged fruit. The coffee is then pulped and fermented to break down the fruit mucilage, washed clean in channels, and finished with an extended soak under fresh water. This soak is the step that gives Kenyan washed coffee its remarkable transparency. You can read more about how this compares to other approaches in our guide to washed and natural processing methods.

Once the parchment is dried slowly on raised beds, we roast it to City+ at our Virginia Beach roastery. We hold the roast bright and restrained, just past first crack, so nothing covers the acidity and fruit that the long wash worked so hard to preserve.

Blackcurrant Citrus Berry Black Tea BodyFull AcidityBright The Cup

The Kenyan Standard

This is a cup built on contrast. Blackcurrant arrives first, that deep cassis note Kenyan SL28 is famous for, wrapped in bright citrus and a layer of ripe berry. Underneath runs a black tea structure that gives the coffee a full, juicy weight. The acidity is vivid and the finish is clean, with the kind of sparkle that keeps you reaching for the next sip.

Find Your Fix

This coffee shines in a clean pour-over. Reach for a Chemex or V60 to spotlight its citrus clarity, or use a Beehouse or drip setup for everyday brewing. Cold brew turns the blackcurrant into something jammy and sweet. Browse the full lineup of coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA