Single Origin Kenya Fairview Estate – Medium Roast

What is so special about this coffee?

Fairview Estate has in place a very rigorous process. All pickers are well–trained in quality harvesting methods, and only the ripest cherries are picked at each pass. Only the best cherries are pulped and taken to concrete pits to be fermented for around 12 hours before being fully washed.

The coffee is graded for a second time and soaked for 16 hours to improve quality. Once washed and cleaned, the coffee is graded for the third time before the parchment is delivered to drying tables.

Drying is conducted in two phases: the ‘wet to black stage’ (rapid drying to remove excess skin water) and the ‘black to white’ stage (slow and well-monitored drying). The parchment is hand sorted during the first stage to remove any defective beans. For the second stage, drying times are around 7 to 14 days. Coffee is turned and sorted every two hours and is covered under Nylex during the hottest part of the day to prevent splitting and to promote even drying.

The perfect environment for outstanding coffee

Situated at 1,750 meters above sea level, the beautiful Fairview estate benefits from its optimum surroundings. The high altitude allows for slower development and greater late crop yields, as trees experience optimum sunshine and generally better weather conditions. Volcanic soil is also quite common in this region.

Because of its unique environment, the crop has fuller, redder, juicier cherries when the later yields are picked.

For water, this area of Kenya has two separate rainy seasons: March through May and October through December. Irrigation water is used to supplement the needs of the farm in-between seasons, with the Riara River, in turn, fed by streams from the central highlands, helping to provide reasonable access to water all year-round.

About Fairview Estate

For over 100 years, Fairview Estates’ fertile soils and holistic production methods have helped to produce some of the best lots that the Kenyan central highlands have to offer.

Having existed for over a century, Fairview Estate is one of Kenya’s oldest coffee farms. During the last century, the Estate has changed hands many times, from Mrs. Eveline Poy to Mr. Oliver Tait (1924-1926), to Ngoru Enterprises Ltd (1926-1978). For the last four decades, the Estate has belonged to former Kenyan Ambassador to the United States of America, Leonard Oliver Kibinge, and his family.