Main crop picking

Picking of the main coffee crop at our farm in Ngariama is under way. This year we are expecting a bumper crop due to favourable weather.
This coffee will not be available for sale until mid to late January.
Why, the best coffees must be picked at the finest time of harvest, washed, dried and given enough time to rest before being roasted so that the prized aromas and tastes can be experienced at their very peak.
In the coming weeks Gachewa coffee will be taking your orders for next year. Please email us @ info@gikltd.com for additional information. Please note, due to the many coffee sample requests we receive each month, shipping costs will now be the responsibility of the customer.

Kenya Coffee Grading

The coffee beans, after milling are graded mechanically into various grades which differ in size, weight or shape. Incorporated into the grading system are the colours sorting machines which are the capable of separating high quality coffee beans from light and defective ones electronically.In Kenya grading mechanism the resulting grades are roughly described as follows:EThis is the largest of all the grades in size and has been named Elephant grade in the grading. Usually there are two seeds joining together to form the seed in a single cherry. It is the source of ears when the seeds part during handling. This grade also includes the very large PB beans. Like PB this grade is normally in small quantities in a consignment.AAThis grade has good size formation of large beans (7.20mm screen). This grade usually fetches a higher price than any other grade.ABThis grade is a combination of two grades A and B A- 6.80mmscreen, B-6.20mm screen. AB is regarded as a representative of the other grades in a consignment and usually there is more coffee of his grade than of other grades in a consignment. It is also a popular grade which fetches good prices.PBRound beans which usually grow as one bean in a single cherry bean. About 10% of coffee falls in this grade.CSmaller beans than B and most of the thin beans in this grade.TTThis grade is composed of light beans which are raged and are usually separated from all other grades.TThe smallest and thinnest beans, most of the beans are in the form of chips. Most of the beans in this grade are broken and faulty. In classification, this grade is always below the other grades.MH /MLThis is the coffee that has not gone through the wet processing either because it was not picked, or because it fell from the trees after ripening. About 7% of total crop falls into this grade, which generally fetches lower prices and which has sour tasting liquor.The above grades are then subjected to a vigorous classification by liquoring Departments who then assign the classification standards as to the quality of the raw roasted and cup taste. The cup quality is usually described as fine fairer to good, fair to average quality down to common plain liquor. Coffee of good raw quality and appearance and has a good roast also has a pleasant flavor.

Your Coffee Pot

Good coffee starts with good Kenyan beans. But if you have
a dirty coffee maker, then it doesn't matter how
good your beans are, or how perfect your grind,
or how great the seal or valve on your coffee can or
bag. Coffee makers have a lot of things working
against them and the taste of your coffee. Minerals in the water (even bottled
water) build up on the inside of the maker and then are released into the
coffee. Mold tries to sneak in by building up in the piping and the filter
basket.

Cleaning your coffee pot:
If your pot is
glass, place a quarter cup of crushed ice in the dirty pot. Cut up one whole
lemon and place in the pot. Pour coarse salt in the pot and swish around. The
salt acts as sandpaper would as the ice grinds it against the dirt. The lemon
juice acts as the cleaner.
Ideally, you should
clean your coffee maker/coffee pot at least once a week with a mixture of water
and vinegar to remove the oils that build up over time. These oils change
the flavor of the coffee. You can buy cleaners that are made especially
for coffee pots but the water and vinegar method works just as good. You
must always run clear water back through your pot to rinse it out after you
have done the cleaning process.

Simple
rules:
a) For the best pot
of coffee always start with FRESH, Quality coffee beans. No matter how
good the coffee is, if it is STALE it will be very flat. This will not be
your best pot of coffee.

b) Do you want to
impress someone? Try making that pot of coffee using FRESH CLEAN
water. Remember 98% of a cup of coffee is water so, bad water means bad
coffee. Go for the fresh clean water that you buy and see for yourself
the difference in the taste.

c) Not all of us have
a coffee grinder. But if you are a coffee lover try thinking about buying
one. The experts say to grind your coffee, if possible, immediately
before brewing. Why? Because this will give the freshest taste.

d) The correct
amount of coffee. The biggest mistake that we usually make is often not using
enough coffee. This results in a cup that lacks depth of flavor, and it
does not have that distinctive quality that helps to make each cup
unique. Yep I did say unique. Coffee flavors are always unique
because believe it or not they do all taste different depending on which type
you choose to try.
The experts say a
good rule of thumb is to use 2 level tablespoons for each 6oz cup of
coffee. For a non-coffee drinker this is STRONG, but everyone should
start from here and then make your adjustments to how your tastes are.

e) Warm your coffee
mug before pouring the coffee in. Just run your mug under hot tap water
or let hot tap water sit inside your cup while your coffee is brewing. Pour
out the hot tap water just before you pour your coffee in. This keeps
your cup of coffee hot a lot longer.

f) If you are making
more coffee than you intend to drink it is best to pour it in a thermos to keep
it hot. If you leave your coffee in the pot sitting over your coffee
warmer it will slowly destroy its flavor.
g) Always drink your
coffee freshly brewed. It’s really best not to reheat. I know I
know we all do it but let’s face it........we all know that it dulls the flavor
and gives it a stale taste. It gives it that bitter and acidic
flavor which is not good to taste.

Coffee Blending

Blending is the art of combining various coffees from different origins. Although you would assume that the reason for blending beans is to produce a superior cup, most 100% Arabica beans will produce a superior cup if left unblended. So why blend?
Here are some of the less obvious reasons why we blend.
Signature Blends - the idea here is to produce a blend of a consistent flavor to be sold exclusively by a particular chain store or cafe. Consumers visiting the cafe can always expect the same taste and quality. The ultimate goal is to have consumers return time and again to buy the famous signature blend. Some examples include Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.
Consistency Blends - these blend a large number of bean varieties in order to maintain a consistent flavor should one or more of those varieties become unavailable at any time. An example is the powdered instant "Nescafe Blend 43", with 43 different beans in the blend. If one of these beans should become unavailable, it can be replaced without consumers noticing a large difference in the flavor of their favorite coffee.
Low Cost Blends - these are an attempt to blend cheaper Robusta beans with quality Arabica beans in order to maintain some of the Arabica flavor at a lower price.
Single-Origin Blends - whilst you may think that "single-origin" is unblended coffee, this is not always the case. What is labeled as single-origin can be a coffee blend of various varieties from a particular region. On the other hand, it may well be a true unblended single-origin coffee. You should always check with your distributor that the coffee is exactly what you are asking for.

Unblended Coffee
In the case of high quality Arabica beans, it is a shame to blend away the uniqueness that can be enjoyed in a coffee from a single-origin or Estate. Drinking an unblended coffee allows you examine the traits of a particular bean and enjoy a uniqueness of acidity, body, flavor and aroma that cannot be found in any other coffee. When you are out to try unblended styles, look for the following:
Single-Origin Coffee Coffee beans from a single origin possess a balance (mix of acidity, body, flavor and aroma) unique to that region. Coffees sold as single-origin are usually always 100% Arabica and can be very costly, especially when the bean is highly prized.
Highly regarded single-origin coffees include:
Costa Rica – Excellent acidity creates a bright taste with a hint of smoke flavor. Guatemala – Medium bodied with a lively acidity, very aromatic with spice and chocolate overtones.
Colombia – Smooth, well balanced acidity with a sweet flavor.
Kona – Kona coffee is grown in the Hawaiian Islands and benefits from its rich volcanic soil. It is typically mild and sweet with a hint of spice.
Sumatra – Very full bodied with a slight exotic earthy taste. Slightly sweet with floral nuances.
New Guinea – Very well balanced with complex aromas. Moderate acidity and full body. Sulawesi – Unique nutty and woody aromas add to this full bodied, complex flavored coffee.
Ethiopia – Medium bodied with a tangy and pungent liveliness and a pronounced floral aroma.
Kenya – Kenya Coffee is considered by many to be the finest coffee in the world. It`s reputation as a top quality coffee producer is unsurpassed. This meticulously prepared East African coffee is famous for it's rich full body, strong pleasant acidity, floral fragrant aroma and a winey aftertaste with overtones of berries and citrus

Kenya Coffee Calender

January
• Processing (picking, pulping and drying)
• Marketing of coffee
• Pruning and change of cycle
• Insect pest survey and control
• Land preparation for new establishment
• Soil and leaf sampling
• Farm records


February
• Marketing of coffee
• Disease and insect pests control
• Pruning and change of cycle
• Land preparation for new establishment
• Soil and leaf sampling
• Farm records



March
• Land preparation
• Marketing of coffee
• Disease and insect pests control
• Farm records
• Fertilizer application



April
• Planting new establishment
• Weed control
• Disease and insect pests control
• Fertilizers application
• Handling and desuckering
• Processing (picking, pulping and sun drying)

May
• Disease and insect pests’ control
• Processing (picking, pulping and drying)
• Handling and desuckering
• Fertilizers application
• Farm records
• Weed control

June
• Disease and insect pests’ control
• Handling and desuckering
• Processing (picking, pulping and sun drying)
• Farm records





July
• Handling and desuckering
• Processing (picking, pulping and sun drying)
• Insect pests control
• Farm records
• Pruning and change of cycle
• Weed control
• Marketing of coffee

August
• Processing (drying and storage)
• Pruning and change of cycle
• Land preparation for new establishment
• Weed control (perennial weeds)
• Soil and leaf sampling
• Farm records
• Marketing


September
• Insect pest survey and control
• Soil and leaf sampling
• Pruning and change of cycle
• Farm records
• Processing and marketing of coffee



October
• Diseases and insect pest control
• Soil and leaf sampling
• Farm records
• Processing (picking, pulping and drying)
• Weed control



November
• Processing (picking, pulping and
drying)
• Disease and insect pests control
• Fertilizer application
• Weed control
• Farm records
• Handling and desuckering


December
• Processing (picking, pulping and
drying)
• Weed control
• Disease and insect pests control
• Handling and desuckering
• Fertilizer application
• Farm records

Why Kenya Coffee?

Kenya coffee has a wonderful flavor courtesy of the rich volcanic soil and high altitudes of the mountains found in East Africa.
Coffee is one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners and the government is keen to see this industry prospers. The Coffee Board of Kenya was formed to ensure the quality of exports is maintained and to streamline the industry by regulating coffee trade within and without the country.
Kenya coffees have a very unique taste. The best quality has a very strong coffee aroma with very little bitterness.

If you have ever been in any top quality coffee shop, you’ve probably seen branded Kenya coffee listed. But do you know why Kenyan coffee is famous and considered one of the top coffees by connoisseurs?
Popular for the premium brand Kenya AA coffee, Kenya produces some of the best coffee and is one of the world’s leading exporters of Arabica coffee.
Due to its unique taste, Kenyan coffee has over the years been used to blend and improve other low quality coffees from different countries.
Kenya coffee is grown in high altitudes in the highlands of Kenya and along the Mt. Kenya region. The rich volcanic soil, temperate climate and the seasonal rains combine to produce coffee that is so well balanced that it is almost sublime. The ripe berries are handpicked twice a year, with the main picking season from October until the end of the year while the second and smaller harvesting season runs from June to July or early August.

The flavor of Kenyan Coffee:

Kenyan Coffee is characterized as having a strong flavor that is distinctively bold, high smooth acidity with a mellow after-taste that is almost winey. If you want to enjoy the most aroma you could ever get from coffee, then try the roasted Kenya coffee beans.

Kenya Coffee grades:

Coffee in Kenya undergoes a grading system. For each coffee lot produced, the coffee beans are rigorously tested for quality and then graded into various grades which differ in size, weight and shape. Kenya AA coffee is the premium grade of Kenyan coffee which is simply a measure of the size, weight and shape of the bean. The grade sizes in order from the largest size to the smallest are AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT and T.

Why is size important?

The bigger the bean the more aroma and flavor the coffee will produce, which is of utmost importance to coffee drinkers. The bigger the coffee bean, the better quality it’s perceived to be, all other factors remaining the same.
If you are looking for a great cup of African coffee packed with delicious, rich and delightful flavor, coffee from Kenya will delight your taste buds. You do not have to travel to Kenya to enjoy that fabulous taste because you can buy Kenyan coffee from major establishments as well as online grocery stores.

Does fair trade initiative appropriately address the unique needs and concerns of every growing region??

Fair Trade:
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability within their communities. It also advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards.
Fair trade certification costs as much as 5X that of organic which is burdensome to the coffee co-operatives. Cost will range from about $2000-4000.
The questions that we hear over and over is, how much of the money the West pays for a cup of coffee actually makes it's way back to the impoverished labourers who picked the beans?? Fair trade products have higher retail prices than non-fair trade, although the premium varies; for commodity goods such as coffee, the difference is often not much, actually pennies to the dollar when you factor in other costs, such as transport, processing, harvesting and labor.
How is fair trade monitored?
Fair trade foundation faces an uphill battle in trying to monitor how much of the extra money paid to the exporting co-operatives actually reaches the laborer. The wages paid to the coffee labourers by the land owners during the coffee picking seasons are never verified as part of the certification or annual inspection process.
Studies though showed membership in self-organizing groups especially those with links to FT markets (where partnerships have been formed) do increase empowerment in those communities as it becomes easier to monitor and groups are more accountable to their success.

Arabica Coffee

Arabica coffee beans are grown in Africa, areas in Asia as well as Latin America. It is believed to be the first type of coffee bean that was harvested. It is widely grown than other type of coffee beans. Usually they can take about seven years to reach their full size. The fruits from the plants which contain the seeds are called the Arabica coffee beans. The beans must be picked at a proper time for it to produce a good cup of coffee. As we know, coffee contains caffeine but the good news is that Arabica coffee has lower level of caffeine compared to other types of coffee. Where are Arabica coffee best planted? The Arabica plants grow well on the steep slopes as well as the terraced highlands. The reasons being they can get the right amount of sunlight and a lot of rain. However, the coffee plants can not grow higher than thousand feet high. In a year these plants can produce about one pound of Arabica coffee per annum. Now we know how and where they are grown, let's look at how they are being processed. There are two popular ways how coffee is processed: wet and dry process. The Wet Process In wet process, the beans are harvested from the farms. From there they go through several stages before they are sold and roasted. The first major process is in the factory, where the ripe beans are separated from the unripe beans, decupled to remove the outer cover. They are then fermented in a tank to remove the Arabica coffee beans from the husk. After an adequate time when the soaking process has been completed the beans are removed and dried out in the sunshine on huge patios for about six weeks. During the daytime the coffee beans are raked continuously so that they dry up quicker and evenly. At night they are moved into covered buildings. The Dry Process In dry process on the other hand, the husks of the coffee are allowed to be intact after they are harvested, no soaking in the fermented tank like in the wet process. Therefore the Arabica beans still have the husks which dry around the beans. Arabica coffee beans has different types of flavors, this however depend on where they are coming from. There are people who say that other types of coffee taste like spices, nuts a swell a chocolate. That is one of the reasons why coffee made from Arabica beans is more popular among coffee drinkers than those coffee made from Robusta coffee beans, even though the latter is cheaper. It is all about the flavor. Many coffee drinkers say that Arabica coffee has the right level of acidity and the mild flavor indulges them with a great tasting cup of coffee. While the Robusta beans are criticized for having a woody and harsh acidic taste. Therefore if you would like to have a cup of great tasting and fulfilling coffee, go for Arabica coffee beans, you won't regret it for a minute.