In the heart of Kenya’s central highlands lies the Fairview Coffee Estate. This beautiful 44ha coffee farm situated 1,750m above sea level is irrigated by the Riara River which is fed by streams from the Kenyan Highlands.
The story of Kenyan coffee begins with the soil. The iron-rich volcanic soils of the central highlands have been producing high-quality coffee for many years. Fed by the Riara River, Fairview Coffee Estate is a beautiful estate in Kiambu County.
Fairview coffee is traditional SL34 washed Arabica, a variety that has made Kenyan coffee famous amongst connoisseurs worldwide. More AA coffee is found in central Kenya than anywhere else in the country thanks to the optimum altitude which allows for greater late yields.
These late-yield berries have had the benefit of better weather with optimum sunshine and when finally picked are on an average fuller, redder, and heavier than berries grown in other areas.
During peak seasons, Fairview Estate employs as many as 400 people to prune and irrigate coffee trees as well as harvest and sort coffee beans. Fairview Estate is also home to 55 families whose children are educated at the Estate’s school which is run on funds generated from coffee proceeds.
After hand-picking, only the ripe, red berries are weighed. The berries are then pulped to remove the potassium-rich redskins. These are not discarded but instead are put aside to decompose and then recycled back into the plant soil as high-potassium compost to improve the ripening of the berries.
After the first grading, the beans are fermented, washed, and graded for the second time. Heavy grades are soaked in tanks for up to sixteen hours improving the coffee quality while also removing any residual sugar. A final wash allows for a third grading before the beans are dried.
Drying takes place on long, wide sun-drenched tables, tightly stretched to prevent sagging, thus ensuring uniform drying. At this stage, the parchment is hand sorted to remove as yet undetected defective beans. Only the most sustainable methods are used throughout the production process, thereby preserving the natural beauty of the area, and safeguarding the environment.
Once milled, sixty percent of early and late crop beans are sold to direct buyers overseas, with the remaining forty percent bagged and sent to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange for auction under the Fairview Coffee brand name.
Crisp, lovely complexity and floral aromatics, notes of passionfruit and sweet stone fruits, hints of vanilla. Medium body, evocative.
