Evans Estate PeaBerry -
Kenya
COUNTRY: Kenya
FARM/COOP/STATION:Evans Estate
VARIETAL: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
PROCESSING: Washed
ALTITUDE: 1700 meters above sea level
REGION: Kiambu
NO: OF MEMBERS: 2000
FLAVOUR NOTES: Sweet and rounded, restrained acidity and notes of ripe blackberry and blackcurrant
About This Coffee
Evans Estate is located in Kiambu County, near Githunguri. The estate is located on the highly productive coffee region on the western slopes of the Aberdare mountain ranges; coffee trees were first planted here in 1963. Peaberry is a term used for a natural mutation in the coffee cherry that causes only one spherical seed to develop internally instead of two seeds side by side. In Kenya where tradition dictates that coffees are separated by size before export, these peaberries are traditionally sorted out and processed separately. Their unique shape and typically smaller size means they also behave a little differently during the roast.
GROWING COFFEE IN KENYA
Coffee is grown through the highland regions of Kenya, including Kisii, Nyanza, and Bungoma in the west; Nakuru and Kericho in the Great Rift Valley; Machakos, Embu, and Meru to the east of Mt. Kenya; and the Taita hills near the coast. The largest and oldest coffee growing areas are the central highlands, particularly Nyeri, sandwiched between the foothills of Mt Kenya to the east and the Aberdare mountain range to the west. Most coffee in Kenya is grown between 4,500 and 6,500 feet. Nearly all of Kenya’s 700,000 coffee producers are small land holders belonging to cooperatives. Most common varieties in Kenya are Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34, and K7. SL34 and K7 were developed from heirloom bourbon known as “French Mission,” which was the primary variety grown prior to the 1930’s that can still be found today, as can Blue Mountain on some farms. Kenyan coffees are graded by screen size and while there are several grades, specialty coffee is AA, AB, or PB (peaberry), used in combination with quality grade FAQ or FAQ Plus (Fair Average Quality).
It seems likely that coffee grew wild within the region that would become Kenya, buried deep inside impenetrable forests, or perhaps hiding in plain sight; but it wasn’t until 1895 that missionaries both protestant and catholic attempted to grow coffee for commercial purposes. The 100 seeds from Reunion Island that would serve as progenitors to the Kenyan coffee industry arrived on a train, carried by priests belonging to an order known as “Holy Ghost Fathers.” On August 12th, 1899, they arrived at the spot that would quickly become the country’s capital city. One of the early protestant medical missionaries was Dr. Henry Scott. After his death in 1911, a new hospital complex was named after Dr. Scott and when the department of agriculture took over the complex in 1923 they kept the name: Scott Agricultural Laboratories, or “Scott Labs.” This is the origin of the “SL” in SL28 and other coffee varieties selected at the lab.
