- Lot Name / Score: Karumandi | 87
- Producer: Karumandi
- Region: Kirinyaga
- Process: Washed
- Quality: AA
- Variety: SL28, SL34, Batian
- Harvest: 2025
- Altitude: 1630 m.s.n.m
- Flavor Notes (Descriptors): Citrus, black tea, honey
About the Karumandi Station
This washing station is located in the volcanic highlands of Mount Kenya, within Kirinyaga County. Karumandi is part of the Baragwi Cooperative, which groups 11 washing stations. Founded in 1960, it is located near Kamweti Castle, on the edge of the Mount Kenya forest, a historical colonial residence that was once visited by Queen Elizabeth II.
The station belongs to small producers and serves approximately 1,700 active members, who deliver their ripe coffee cherries immediately after harvest. On average, each producer manages around 0.1 hectares of land, where coffee constitutes the primary source of family income, along with crops of corn, beans, potatoes, vegetables, and fruits for domestic consumption. At the time of delivery, producers select the cherries to remove unripe or overripe ones under the supervision of the station manager. Then, the coffee is weighed by an operator, and the data is sent immediately to the producer’s mobile phone to guarantee transparency.
Afterward, the coffee is placed in a reception tank before starting pulping. Once all deliveries are finalized, the coffee undergoes a 24-hour dry fermentation in clean tanks with fresh water from the Mount Kenya forest streams. Following this, it is submerged in clean water for another 6 hours and finally dried on elevated African beds under careful supervision to avoid heat damage. The main varieties cultivated in this region are SL28 and SL34 (more than 90% of production), along with lesser quantities of Batian and Ruiru 11.
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