A.M.O.C. – Kenya – Rung’eto Kiangoi

Description

Kiangoi is a classic example of why Kirinyaga continues to be one of the most important coffee regions in Kenya.

The factory is managed by the Rung’eto Farmers’ Cooperative Society and sits near Embu, in the Ngariama location of Gichugu Division. Around 1150 smallholder producers from the surrounding villages deliver cherries to the wet mill, where the coffees are sorted, pulped, fermented, washed, graded, and dried with the kind of structure that makes Kenyan coffees so recognisable.

The cooperative was formed after the dissolution of Ngiriama FCS, bringing Kiangoi, Karimikui, and Kii together under the Rung’eto society. We have been buying coffees from Rung’eto since 2016, and their coffees have become a reference point for the kind of Kenyan profiles we look for: intense, clean, complex, and full of layered fruit.

This lot is grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya, between 1600 and 1800 metres above sea level. The area is rich in volcanic Nitisol soil, known for strong physical and chemical properties, which supports dense, well-structured coffees. Kiangoi is also interesting because it sits within tea-growing zones, adding another layer to the surrounding agricultural landscape.

Processing follows the classic Kenyan washed method. Cherries are hand-sorted, pulped using a 3-disc Agaarde disc pulper, and separated by density. The higher grades are fermented separately in concrete tanks for 18 to 36 hours, then washed, graded again in channels, sometimes soaked overnight, and dried slowly on African raised beds for 12 to 20 days.

In the cup, this is everything we want from a strong Kenyan lot: smooth, clean, complex, and intensely juicy. Raspberry, layered berries, rosewater, violet florals, sweet forest fruit, prune, dark berries, and a mild lemon acidity. Structured, vibrant, and very complete.