Weekly numbered releases in small batches. This lot may not currently be available.
- Origin
- Kenya
- Region
- Kirinyaga County
- Washing station
- Kii Cooperative
- Altitude
- 1,700–1,900 masl
- Varietal
- SL28 / SL34 / Ruiru 11
- Process
- Washed — 72-hour double fermentation
- Roaster
- Special Guests Coffee
Tasting notes
From Special Guests Coffee
"Clementine, nectarine, amaretto. Kii is one of Kirinyaga's finest cooperatives — 72-hour double fermentation, AA grade, SL28/SL34 with a small proportion of Ruiru 11. This lot sits at 1,700–1,900 masl in the foothills of Mount Kenya. Expect the brightness and stone fruit structure of the region with an unusual almond-marzipan finish from the extended fermentation time."
Cuppd note
Special Guests release coffees on a numbered, weekly basis — each lot is a guest appearance, not a permanent menu item. That weekly-release model means their pages need the availability flag more than any other roaster in the database.
Kii cooperative in Kirinyaga sits on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya — higher and cooler than Kiambu, with altitude-driven acidity that's more delicate than the classic Kiambu structure. The 72-hour double fermentation (cherry fermented, then pulped and fermented again before washing) extends the development of the organic acids responsible for that clementine-and-nectarine brightness. The amaretto finish — almond, marzipan, sweet bitterness — is the Ruiru 11 varietal's contribution. It's an unusual note for a Kenyan coffee.
Flavour fingerprint
Who it\'s for
Built for: The Terroir Hunter
Named cooperative, specific county, documented altitude range, named varietals with proportions, extended fermentation time — the full provenance picture is present.
Also suits: The Bright Drinker
High acidity, stone fruit, structured complexity. If you want the Kenyan experience at its most precise, this is the lot.
How to brew it
Best method
V60
- Temperature
- 93°C
- Grind
- Medium-fine
- Ratio
- 1:15
The delicate stone fruit and amaretto finish are best on clean filter. 2.5–3 minutes. Don't push the extraction — the balance is the point.
Also great
Cold Brew
- Temperature
- Cold / room temp
- Grind
- Coarse
- Ratio
- 1:8
Kenyan AA is one of the best cold brew origins. The clementine character intensifies beautifully cold. 18–24 hours.
Where to buy
Special Guests Coffee — Online Shop
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About the roaster
Special Guests Coffee
London-based specialty roaster operating a weekly numbered-release model. Competition-lineage lots — the sourcing network draws on relationships with farms supplying World Barista Championship winning coffees.
Roaster profile →
About the origin
Kenya Coffee
The cooperative model, SL28/SL34 varietals, and high-altitude growing conditions of the central highlands produce a flavour signature — dark and stone fruit, structured acidity — that has no real equivalent elsewhere.
Origin guide →