The Gondo Cooperative lies just north of Nairobi in Murang’a County. The co-op was founded in 1973 and lies near the slopes of Mt. Kenya at an elevation of about 1650 meters above sea level. As a whole, the Gondo Cooperative produces around 90 metric tons of coffee from 1,230 members and the cooperative itself is part of the New Kiriti Farmers Cooperative Society.
The coffee cherries are picked red ripe, from 40 year old plants, and then wet processed with water from the river Gondo from the which the co-op takes its name. The coffee is sun-dried on raised beds and then taken to the Sasini Coffee Mill for final processing.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Kenya Gondo Cooperative, from Magpie Coffee Roasters in Reno, Nevada, courtesy of Craft Coffee. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Murang’a, Kenya
farm: N.A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Gondo Cooperative (New Kiriti Farmers Cooperative Society)
elevation: 1650 meters above sea level
cultivars: SL28, SL34
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
certifications: standard
BREWINGSPECS:
method: Hario V60
grind: 18, Preciso
coffee: 28 g
water: 425 mL
bloom: 1:00
pour: 2:30 concentric pulse pour
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Kenya Gondo Cooperative is really interesting. It’s delicate and airy with wisps of complex citrus, flowers, and sugars; lilacs, chamomile tea leaves, honey blossom, brown sugar, and light orange rind.
Taking my first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew, my palate is graced by a silky, light-bodied coffee that is delicate and genteel. There is some sweetness, thanks to a very thin bed of honey and lavender that spreads over the palate and notes of brown sugar and amaretto that kicks up in the finish of each sip, but more than “sweet” this coffee is tart, a little zesty, and bright.
That’s evidenced even more so as the cup cools off, and flavors of grapefruit, papaya, mango, kiwi, plum, and spiced cherry come to the forefront of every sip.
Light body; silky mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
Magpie Coffee Roasters made their debut at the Table today, and they couldn’t have done so with a better coffee. Their Kenya Gondo Cooperative was a beautiful coffee; one that was silky, elegant, complex, and light, but brimming with flavors and complexities.
This one was a real treat.
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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.