Tim Wendelboe - Gachatha

I have visited the Gachatha wet mill several times and even though it looks like most wet mills do in Nyeri, it has proven to be one of the best producers of high quality coffees in the area over many years. At least in my opinion.   Although the wet mill mainly takes care of the processing and drying of the coffees that are delivered by it's members / farmers,  a well run wet-mill is fundamental in order to be able to produce high quality coffee year after year. Apart from processing and drying the coffees well, the co-operative provides extensive training to their farmers. There is  even a small demonstration plot at the wet mill where the members receive training in good agricultural practices. The co-operative also grow seedlings of both coffee trees and shade trees that are distributed to their members.

Although most members are still growing the traditional SL28 and SL34 cultivars, we know that they have been planting the new hybrid cultivars Ruiru 11 and a lot of Batian in the recent years. Still the coffee from Gachatha has the recognisable intense fruity flavours you can expect from the traditional SL-cultivars.

This lot from the 2024/2025 harvest was among the best I tasted in Kenya while I was there to purchase coffees in February. Expect very intense fruity flavours ranging from ripe blackberries, blackcurrants, raisins to rhubarb and sometimes even raspberries. I love drinking this refreshing Kenyan coffee after heavy Christmas dinners.

As always I don’t really have any particular criteria for selecting Christmas edition coffees other than that the coffee itself needs to be among the best we have in stock. There is no secret that everyone in our team love a great Kenyan coffee, myself included.  As this was one of  the best lots that we bought from Kenya this year I believe it makes a perfect coffee for the holidays and also a a nice gift to someone who loves coffee.