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Kirinyaga

East of Nyeri, with a dense concentration of well-run factories.

Altitude
1,500–1,900 m
Harvest
June–July and October–December
Species
Arabica
Processing
Washed

About the region

Kirinyaga sits immediately east of Nyeri on the same mountain, and shares its soil and altitude. What distinguishes it is density: an unusually high concentration of well-run cooperative factories in a small area, several of which appear near the top of buyers' lists year after year.

The main crop is picked from October, with a smaller fly crop mid-year.

In the cup

Close to Nyeri and sometimes brighter: blackcurrant, tomato and citrus over a sharp, clean acidity, with a dense body and a distinctly savoury edge that Kenyan coffee has and almost nothing else does.

Terrain

The eastern flank of Mount Kenya, volcanic and steep, at similar altitude to Nyeri.

Varieties

SL28 SL34 Ruiru 11

Other regions in Kenya

Nyeri Red volcanic soil on the slopes of Mount Kenya; the most sought-after lots. Murang'a Southern Mount Kenya, largely smallholder-owned.

Sources

  1. World Coffee Research — Arabica Coffee Varieties (read August 24, 2026) Cited for Varieties