Kenya Thithi is a wetmill within Thika Giiki Farmers Co-operative Society, which was started in 1985. Most of the farmers around the wetmill are small holders with only between 150 – 250 stems of coffee. The Thithi Wet Mill has 679 members, who democratically elect a chairman to represent them on the management board of the co-op.
This lot is a separation of SL34 and SL28 varietals. These are the top prized varietals of coffee in Kenya. These cultivars and the precise processing methods create a very complex and clean coffee. That we are happy to roast and bring to you.
The Thika Giiki Farmers Co-Operative is part of the Coffee Transparency initiative. By adopting business practices that treat workers and suppliers ethically and fairly, protect the environment, and promote economic transparency the initiative works to build the foundation for sustainable business. Participating wet mills and supplying farmers are trained and audited on a set of sustainability standards that focus on 5 categories – social responsibility & ethics, occupational health & safety, environmental responsibility, economic transparency and production & farm management. The long term goal is to get producers to become loyal suppliers by understanding business decisions while enabling long-term relationships with coffee buyers.*
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Kenya Thithi AA, from Bold Bean Coffee Roasters in Jacksonville, Florida. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Muranga County, Kenya
farm: Thithi Mill
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Thika Giiki Farmers Co-operative Society
elevation: 1580 – 1800 meters above sea level
cultivars: SL28, SL34
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Kenya Thithi is intensely winy – fruity, floral, perfumed… It’s like a dark red wine.
And with an aroma so distinct and specific, it comes as no surprise that, as I’m taking my first few sips, the taste is following the nose. This is a medium-bodied coffee with a honeyed texture that envelops the tongue and completely fills the mouth with each sip; there is no part of my palate that isn’t touched by this coffee. It’s immediately fruity and tart up front, with bright and lively flavors of grapefruit, apple, cherry, red grape, and raisin. There is also a flutter of honeysuckle and rose hips and the sweetness of vanilla bean ice cream.
As the cup cools off, it really doesn’t evolve all that much; the flavor remains pretty consistent, though its grapefruit flavors are really popping the cooler it gets. The other thing I’m noticing about this coffee, particularly in its lingering aftertaste, is the presence of tannins, spices (coriander? clove? both?), and oak.
Medium body; honeyed mouthfeel; tartaric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
Forget the mug. This coffee – Bold Bean Coffee Roasters’s Kenya Thithi AA – would probably best be served in a wine glass. It perfectly encapsulated how much alike one another certain specialty coffees and fine wines can be.
Kenya Thithi is sweet, tart, aromatic, and very elegant being so fruity, floral, and honeyed… It even had the presence of oak and spices, which kind of made it similar to a mulling spiced red wine.
This is a coffee that is meant to be sipped and savored intentionally; it is a coffee that is meant to be experienced. It is an absolutely beautiful cup.
*content provided by Bold Bean Coffee Roasters
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.