December 2012’s pick

Kenya micro-lot – Gatomboya AB

With notes of marzipan, caramel, nutmeg and redcurrant, this month’s selection is the kind of coffee you’d hope to find on Christmas morning. Trouble is, making it last that long might be a Christmas miracle in itself.

Our experts’ thoughts on this month’s choice

Jim, 35 years in the coffee trade
“For my family, it’s all about Christmas Day dinner. When buying the food and drink, only the best we can afford will do – and with this coffee we’ve saved you the trouble of finding that perfect Christmas cup. Drink before the Port or Cognac as it would be a shame to lose the riot of flavours to be found in this classy coffee.”

Geoff, 35 years in the coffee trade
“David Driver, a colleague and a friend, has spent many happy times in his beloved Kenya - he spent most of his working life at the family firm named after Kenya’s capital city! He held a Royal Warrant until he retired and with his encyclopedic knowledge of coffee, for him the greatest coffee in the world comes from Kenya, I know he’ll be enjoying this beautiful coffee this Christmas... cheers David!”

Kenya: The Star of the East African Coffee Scene

Kenya is East Africa’s coffee powerhouse. This is due to the consistently phenomenal quality of Kenyan coffees, but also to the way those coffees are weighed, measured, bought and shipped.

Remember in October when we looked at how the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange was transforming Ethiopia’s coffee trade by reducing risk? Kenya has no such problems. From research and development to markets and trade bodies, this coffee industry hums along like a finely-tuned machine.

Tuesdays at the Exchange

The Nairobi Coffee Exchange auction opens for business every Tuesday at 9am. Unlike in other countries where coffee is only sold at auction, Kenya also allows growers to sell directly to overseas buyers through licensed agents.

The direct sale option is known as the ‘second window’. It was introduced by the Kenyan government after complaints that consolidation amongst roasters and exporters was driving down auction prices and putting smallholder growers in a tight spot. By using the second window, growers can bypass the auction and deal directly with buyers. It may sound like arcane economics, but this sort of thing demonstrates just how seriously Kenya takes its coffee.

Small But Perfectly Formed

The best lots of size AA and AB beans (fairly large) are typically auctioned off in standard- size lots. But in some cases, when a particular bean stands out, it is set aside and sold as an individual micro-lot. While the beans may be big, the number that make the cut is small indeed. Competition for these micro-lots grows fierce, but as you can taste, the result is worth it.

Tasting notes

Festive is the order of the day with this luxurious coffee. It pulls off the rare trick of being rich and flavourful but also exceptionally bright. We just love the immediate hit of lemon acidity.

See if you can mark the changes in the way this coffee smells before and after adding water. The intense dry fragrance is sweet, with butterscotch and marzipan, whereas the wet aroma has spicy notes of nutmeg. When you taste it, try to detect the full range of flavours, from redcurrant and marzipan to honey and even some delicate floral notes.