In case you haven't checked out the sourcing page on our website, we wanted to share with you how Kuma sources Kenyan Coffee!
Kenyan coffees were one of the first things Kuma became known for in the early days of the company, just a tiny Seattle roastery putting out some exceptional Kenyan lots that nobody around had tasted anything like. They have since become one of our core coffees in our lineup. We bring them in to the states vacuum packed and boxed, preserved for maximum longevity, and thus we are able to offer them year round.
Mark Barany, the original founder of Kuma, had spent some years growing up in Nairobi, so in addition to the personal connection, the coffees coming out of the Nyeri region are unlike anything else in the world. Deeply fruited, high acidity flavors in these coffees bring to mind a berry cornucopia, blackberries, raspberries, and no shortage to tropical fruits too. Sweet and bright, you wouldn't be faulted for thinking you were drinking fruit juice when you have a mug of Kenyan coffee. Truly a singular origin.
Years later as Kuma grew, so did our sourcing methods, and 4 years ago Mark travelled to Kenya himself to purchase coffee lots instead of from coffee importers here in the states.
That was 4 years ago, and each year since he has traveled to the famed Dorman’s Coffees in Nairobi, the hub of all top tier coffees out of Kenya. It's a whirlwind week of cupping hundreds of lots from coops around the Nyeri region, all previously evaluated down to the very best tasting. In Kenya coffees are sorted by size of the bean (called screen size) and the cuppings are primarily only the largest sizes, AA, AB and the occasional Peaberry.
This past year, we had Mark return to Dorman’s in Nairobi to source 6 more lots on behalf of Kuma, and we are so excited about what we have brought in. Check out our latest Kenyan coffee here.