Kirinyaga is the lush corner of Kenya. Most of the country's coffee grows in arid stretches that thin out the farther you get from Mt. Kenya, but Kirinyaga sits in the wet, jungle-like band right at its base, where shade and slow rainfall push the cherries to ripen dense and even. It is a small county doing some of Kenya's most consistent work, and the cup shows it.

What often sets coffee from Kenya apart is what happens after the cherries leave the tree. Every farmer in the country, large or small, is plugged into a Farmer Cooperative Society, a locally owned and locally run network that provides agronomy support, milling infrastructure, and a path to market. Cooperatives adapt to their own microclimates and run on their own decisions. That structure is the reason a smallholder lot in Kirinyaga can land at the same table as a top estate.

The final step runs through Kenya's auction and dry milling system. The country has some of the most precise dry milling facilities in the producing world, and almost every lot that comes out of them is a clean, well-sorted cup. This Top Lot AA from Burman Coffee Traders is the highest grade pulled off this year's harvest in Kirinyaga County, milled to the Kenya standard.

Washed Process: Cherries are depulped the day they are picked, fermented in tanks, then washed clean and dried slowly on raised beds. The wash strips the fruit pulp off the seed completely, which is what gives Kenya its signature clarity. Bright acidity, defined flavors, and no muddy fermentation notes hiding the cup.

Cupping notes: A very clean, brighter cup with a silky-smooth mouthfeel. The first sip is a vibrant burst of lemon and orange citric comingling with a slight red fruit, balanced by a creamy cocoa undertone and a gentle black-tea like spice in the aftertaste. Roasted nuts and cocoa anchor the profile. As the cup cools the acidity softens and a deeper chocolate note swells, yet the honey aromatics persist all the way down.

Resting: Best after 4 weeks of rest off roast. Many washed Kenyan coffees need time for the brightness to settle and the citrus to round itself out.

8 oz. / 227 g WHOLE BEAN

Country: Kenya
Region: Kirinyaga County
Varietal: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
Process: Washed
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 1,500-2,000 masl
Tasting Notes: Lemon, Cocoa, Black Tea, Honey
Body: Silky

(Coffee is roasted on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST on the preceding Tuesday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)

Carmen Montoya has been farming coffee for 23 years, inheriting her love for it from her parents. What began with a small plot of an unknown variety turned into something remarkable when her coffee, which she named "Chiroso" after its distinctive slender bean shape, won the Cup of Excellence in 2014.

Today, Carmen is a pioneer of Chiroso cultivation in Urrao, Antioquia, and a recognized community leader. She mentors fellow farmers, helping them refine their processes to build global recognition for Urrao's Chiroso. Her farms, Los Pinos and Bella Vista, sit at 1,900 to 2,000 meters above sea level, where cool mountain air and slow cherry development concentrate sugars and acidity.

Every day, Doña Carmen oversees each stage of processing herself, from cherry selection through drying, to protect the traceability and consistency of her coffee. That hands-on care is what you taste in the cup.

The same seeds Carmen held in her hands are the ones now in my shop, waiting to be roasted. That is not lost on me. I try to roast this coffee with the respect it deserves and out of respect for its producer and her family.

Washed Process: Carmen hand-selects and floats ripe cherries, then ferments them whole in baskets for 12 hours before depulping. The depulped beans undergo an additional 72-hour fermentation in open tanks, are washed, and sun-dried on raised beds for 8 days. Washed processing with this extended fermentation produces a clean, transparent cup with heightened aromatics and bright, articulate acidity.

Cupping notes: Mandarin lifts first, bright and zesty, followed by a soft floral perfume and a clean caramel sweetness that rounds out a silky body. Good acidity, long finish, unmistakably Chiroso.

Resting: Best 14+ days after roast.

Best brewed as: Best for Filter Coffee

WHOLE BEAN

Country: Colombia
Region: Urrao, Antioquia
Producer: Carmen Montoya
Varietal: Chiroso
Process: Washed
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 1,900–2,000 masl
Tasting Notes: Mandarin, Floral, Caramel
Good For: All brew methods except espresso
Body: Silky

(Coffee is roasted on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST on the preceding Tuesday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)

David Flores farms at 1,850 to 1,900 meters in northern Cajamarca, on a plot called Finca La Neblina. He is also the legal representative and general manager of El Morito, a network of more than 150 independent producers in the region. He started young, stayed curious, and built his place in coffee by paying close attention to what each lot needs.

The Sydra variety is a cross of Bourbon and Typica that traces back to Ecuador. It is still uncommon in Peru, and David is one of a small number of producers in his area working with it. He processes his lots on-farm, refines what he does season after season, and treats every shipment as another chance to push the cup forward.

El Morito is built around the same idea: independent growers, autonomy in processing, shared success at export. This is the first time Showroom has carried David's Sydra, and the first time we’ve roasted it at Dry Heat Coffee.

Washed: Ripe cherries are floated, depulped, fermented in tanks, and rinsed clean of mucilage. Washed coffees lead with clarity. The variety, the elevation, and the producer's hand all come through without the layer of fruit sweetness a natural or honey process adds.

Cupping notes: Tangerine acidity sits on top of a soft, melon-like body. Mid-palate brings dried mango and a denser, fruit-cake sweetness. Finish lingers in simple syrup and a clean, juicy citrus return. Light, sweet, and bright without being thin.

Resting: Best 14+ days after roast, and will continue to improve for a few weeks beyond that.

8 oz. / 227 g WHOLE BEAN

Country: Peru
Region: Cajamarca, North
Producer: David Flores, Finca La Neblina
Varietal: Sydra
Process: Washed
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 1,850-1,900 masl
Tasting Notes: Tangerine, Cantaloupe, Dried Mango, Fruit Cake, Simple Syrup
Body: Light, Silky

(Coffee is roasted on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST on the preceding Tuesday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)