Kagumoini AA — Kenya

Everything You Love About Kenya, From One Hillside

There's a reason Kenyan coffee has such a devoted following, and Kagumoini is a beautiful example of why: bright, juicy blackcurrant, a sparkling citrus lift, and a clean, sweet finish that makes you reach for the next sip. This is the classic Kenyan cup, done exceptionally well.

It comes from a single washing station high in the hills of Murang'a, where hundreds of smallholder families grow coffee the way this region has for generations. Roasted fresh at our Upper Hutt roastery and rested for 30 days, it's Kenya at its most recognisable and its most rewarding.

Origin: Kenya
Washing Station: Kagumoini, Kamacharia Farmers Cooperative Society
Location: Murang'a County, Central Highlands
Altitude: 1,750 masl (as reported by Cofinet)
Variety: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 & Batian 
Process: Washed (double fermentation & clean-water soak)
Grade: AA — a bean size, not a quality ranking (more on that below)

Tasting Notes

Blackcurrant, blood orange, cane sugar 

Blackcurrant leads — that unmistakable, deep Kenyan note — followed by a bright, almost citrusy blood-orange acidity that gives the coffee its sparkle. Underneath sits a rounded cane-sugar sweetness that keeps everything in balance, carrying through to a clean, refreshing finish. Vibrant and juicy without ever being sharp.

A Single Washing Station, High in the Murang'a Hills

Most of the world's coffee is blended long before it reaches you. This one isn't. Every bean here comes from the Kagumoini factory — the local name for a washing station — set in the fertile foothills between the Aberdare Range and Mt Kenya, where cool mountain air and deep red volcanic soil slow the cherries' ripening and let dense, complex sugars develop.

That single-station traceability is what makes a coffee like this special: you're tasting one community, one patch of highland terroir, in one harvest. And while the "AA" on the label often gets mistaken for a quality score, it actually just means the beans are large (screen size 17/18). It's a happy myth to bust — a beautifully made smaller-grade coffee can be every bit as good. What you're really tasting here is altitude, soil and careful processing.

Why This Coffee?

At Frank's, Excellence and Generosity are at the heart of this one.

• Excellence: The classic Kenyan profile — bright, structured, blackcurrant-driven — done properly, and roasted by the team behind New Zealand's 2023 Barista Champion and a 4th-place finish at the 2024 World Barista Championship.
• Generosity: Behind every bag are hundreds of smallholder families working together through their cooperative. Buying this coffee supports that collective effort directly.
• Passion: From hand-picking only the ripest cherries to the meticulous double-soak washing, this is coffee made with real care at every step.
• Growth: A wonderful coffee to learn Kenya with — approachable, honest and full of the characteristics that make the origin famous.

Brewing Recommendations

Bright and forgiving — Kagumoini shines across methods.

For Espresso Dose: 18g Yield: 36–45g (1:2–1:2.5) Time: 26–32 seconds Temperature: 93–95°C A slightly longer ratio softens the acidity beautifully — lovely as a fruit-forward black shot, and it cuts cleanly through milk.

For Filter (V60) Coffee: 15g Water: 250g (1:16–1:17 ratio) Temperature: 92–96°C Grind: Medium Brew time: 2:45–3:30 A higher ratio (1:17) really opens up the blackcurrant and blood orange.

Peak Freshness: 10–21 days post-roast, once the acidity settles and rounds out.

These are our recommended starting points — adjust to your taste. Great coffee is coffee you enjoy.

Meet the Cooperative

Kagumoini is one of four washing stations run by the Kamacharia Farmers Cooperative Society in Murang'a. Around 1,384 smallholder farmers deliver cherry to this station (a figure reported by Cofinet), each tending small family plots — often no bigger than a single hectare — where coffee grows alongside the food crops that feed their households.

The cooperative is more than a processor: it provides members with pre-harvest financing, bulk-buys farming inputs, and runs ongoing Good Agricultural Practices training. It's a genuinely collective model, and every bag carries the work of hundreds of hands. We've sourced this lot through our East African partner Cofinet to bring a truly classic expression of Kenyan coffee to Aotearoa.

Process & Sustainability

Kenya's washed method is the reason its coffees taste so clean and bright. After pulping, the coffee is fermented to break down its fruity mucilage, washed thoroughly, then given a second long soak in clean water — a Kenyan signature that scrubs the cup clean and lets the fruit shine. The beans then dry slowly on raised beds under the sun.

The station reports a real commitment to its land, too: managing wastewater through soak pits and encouraging reforestation across members' farms (as reported by Cofinet).

A classic Kenyan, grown by a community and roasted with care in Upper Hutt.

Questions about this coffee? Get in touch — we love talking coffee.