A new month has begun and with that we welcome 2 new coffee guests, this time from Cameroon and Kenya. Your adventure starts here...
Oku - Cameroon
This coffee guest is a particularly special one that we are very excited to share with you. It’s a small lot from Oku that is rarely available and incredibly hard to get to the UK. We hope you love it as much as we do.
Cameroon is often known as "Africa in miniature" because of its immense diversity (geographically and culturally). Oku is in Northwest Cameroon. The term Oku also refers to the people who live in this region and the primary language that they speak (English is also widely spoken). Oku is a rural area containing 36 villages.
The local government is supporting the revival of its coffee sector and one way it’s doing this is through promoting coffee locally to boost production through a coffee festival in Yaoundé (the capital city). Coffee is a major source of cash income for many farmers in Cameroon. There has been a noticeable rise of Arabica coffee in the country due to its perfect climatic conditions and mountainous terrain.
Enjoy this rare coffee boasting taste notes of dark chocolate, caramel and blackberries. This is a smooth and refined coffee, perfect for those who are looking for a chocolatey sweet brew.
Region: Oku Province
Altitude: 1800-2200 masl
Process: Washed
100% Arabica
Thiriku - Kenya
The Thiriku Mill has a reputation for producing excellent speciality coffee independently for over 20 years. The co-op is run by a board of democratically appointed members. There is still work to be done on how much the coffee farmers are paid per kilo however this co-op have made advancements with their farmers now being paid double the average in Kenya.
So let’s get to what this coffee actually tastes like. Firstly, this coffee is equally delicious as a filter or espresso and with or without milk, this is hard to find.
When you drink this coffee you’ll notice an intense, jammy sweetness with a hint of grapefruit acidity, followed by taste notes of blackcurrant. The balance of these notes are incredible with a real bittersweet flavour. We’ve made this coffee using multiple methods and enjoyed it every time.
Our advice to you is get experimental. This is an incredibly diverse coffee just waiting to be enjoyed.
Region: Nyeri County
Altitude: 1400-1700 masl
Process: Washed
100% Arabica
Enjoy these very special coffees from the home of coffee. We've also recently written a blog about speciality coffee and what makes it so delicious, click here to read more.