New Angel's Reserve Release: An Auction-Grade Kenyan Coffee from Gathaithi

Our first release under Angel's Reserve was an Ethiopian natural that scored 93 points and got us thinking hard about how much further our sourcing could go. This second release comes from the opposite end of the East African coffee spectrum: a washed Kenya, meticulously processed, that our head cupper scored 92.5 points. Same bar, same black bag, different story entirely. Here's what makes it one.

In Kenya, small wet mills are called "factories," and each one serves a tight-knit micro-region, usually operating under the umbrella of a larger Farmers Cooperative Society, or FCS. This coffee comes from Gathaithi, both the name of the factory and the cooperative behind it, in Nyeri County. More than 1,250 coop members deliver their cherry here, farming at an average of 1,700 meters above sea level, with plenty of farms sitting on either side of that line. It's the same cooperative model that's made Kenya's coffee sector one of the most consistent, quality-obsessed systems in the world.

Kenyan processing is famously exacting, and Gathaithi is a good example of why. Cherry is pulped on a 3-disc "Kenya" style pulper, fermented overnight to break down the remaining mucilage, washed clean in fresh water, then soaked once more before the parchment ever touches a drying bed. That extra soak is a distinctly Kenyan step, and it's part of why washed Kenyan coffees tend to cup with such clean, organized acidity compared to washed coffees from almost anywhere else.

Kenya grades its coffee primarily by bean size, not cup quality, and AA is the largest screen size on the chart, beans between 17 and 19 sixty-fourths of an inch. Bigger isn't automatically better in the cup, but this particular AA separation stood out enough on the table to earn its own spot, and it's easy to taste why once it's brewed.

Most Kenyans like this one get recommended anywhere from City to Full City, chasing the citric brightness and berry-forward fruit Nyeri is known for. We took ours to a full medium on our fluid bed roaster, letting the darker fruit and cocoa tones come forward without losing the acidity that makes a Kenyan a Kenyan. What lands in the cup is red plum, black currant, and aromatic baking spice, all riding on a bright, tea-like tannic structure with a faint green melon note lingering at the edges.

Angel's Reserve isn't about repeating a formula, it's about holding every lot to the same bar: exceptional cup quality, limited volume, and a story worth telling. This Gathaithi AA clears that bar in a completely different way than our Ethiopia did, and that's exactly the point. It's available in 10oz bags while the lot lasts.

Sincerely, 

-Angel