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The Kaimbu coffee-milling factory is located in the Kiambu District, which borders the north of Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Situated within the greater Central Province, the Kaimbu association is part of a legacy of world-renowned coffee-producing regions. The coffees in these regions grow at a much higher altitude, and temperatures naturally range on the cooler side. In addition, the plants grow in highly fertile, well-drained soil. For coffee shrubs, these factors help produce well-developed seeds, which translates into a palatable and refined cup. Kaimbu AA is characterized by three varietals: SL-28, SL-34, and Ruiru 11. The term ‘SL’ stands for Scott Labs, which set off to improve on the original Bourbon varietal from the French-occupied island of Reunion. These coffees are specifically cultivated for their distinctly black-currant and red-fruit qualities. 

Kaimbu uses a screening system to grade their coffees and determine quality. AA happens to be one of the higher grades of coffee in Kenya, being that this is a much larger bean. This means the beans pass through 18/64ths of an inch sieve perforations, but cannot pass through size 16, the next size lower. The beans are larger than normal, which tends to fetch a higher price at the weekly Nairobi Coffee Exchange. While a larger bean size may indicate good development at high altitude, it is not a reliable indicator. Kenyan coffees are some of the most prized coffees due to geographic influences (terrior), excellent sourcing in cultivars (notably, the SL-28 and SL-34 varietals), and through one of the most organized coffee exchanges in the world. Kenyan coffees are also rare in their processing method. Unlike other washed-processed coffees, they undergo a longer fermentation time, which results in some of the brightest, cleanest, and most complex coffees out of any other producing region.


Kaimbu AA is featured for its unique caramel-apple tartness and berry aromatics. The residing finish is raisiny, with a red-fruit sweetness. Common among top-Kenyan coffees, Kaimbu features a somewhat syrupy body reminiscent of our Kenyan Gaturiri or Ethiopian Guji Shakiso.

-Robert Rybak

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The Nyeri Province hosts a number of superb Kenyan coffees, and for good reason. A combination of ideal terroir qualities has helped champion this region's prominence in the specialty coffee market. As part of the Mugaga Farmers Cooperation Society, the Kagumo-ini milling factory has an elevated standard for their washed-coffee processing which allows them to create more perspicuous flavors in their beans. The factory also sits at an elevation of 1600 meters above sea level, allowing the coffee cherries to develop more complex sugars that enhance acidity. The high altitude restricts the development of a large amount of cherries, which makes these coffees rare.

Along with elevation, Kagumo-ini also has the benefit of volcanic soil. The soil is rich in common elements and nutrients such as silica, phosphorous, and potassium. A large amount of rainfall (50-60 inches annually) and a limited range in temperature (between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit) must work in conjunction with the altitude, giving us some sense as to why good coffee is so difficult to grow. As traditionally done in the Nyeri region, the beans are fermented, washed, then fermented again before being laid out to dry. This actuates a clearer sense or aromatics and flavors in the coffee. Often the fermentation process is confused with the similar name given to wine, but for coffee this simply means peptic enzymes break down the mucilage layer, producing coffees that are lighter in body than natural coffees, but higher in acidity.

Kagumo-ini displays a full range of profiles in processing even as it maintains the innate qualities of the SL-28 varietal. There are distinctly maple aromatics in the front with residing brown sugar that lasts throughout. A wonderful balance of honey sweetnees leads into rich, tannic qualities, expressing a tactile sense of apricot in the finish.

-Robert Rybak

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Honduras has slowly been establishing itself in the greater specialty-coffee world. Like many other Central American coffees, Florentino features less acidity and a greater balance in caramel-like sweetness and milk-chocolate body. A distinct citric tang of orange resonates on the palate and a clean finish highlights the washed-processed characteristics within the cup. Located within the Santa Ana municipality of La Paz, Honduras, producer Florentino Mendoza cultivates Catuai, a hybrid of Bourbon and Typica varietals. This coffee is labelled SHG, or Strictly High Grown, meaning the coffee is grown at a proper elevation, (which in the case of Florentino happens to be 1540masl) meaning cherries slowly develop, presenting a coffee which a much higher level of complexity.

Luckily for future Honduran coffees, the proper growing regions are plentiful and the land prices are some of the cheapest in Central America. But with shaky infrastructure backing its coffee boom as the world's third largest coffee producer, Honduras could also swing towards a direction of lower quality standards. But the country itself is hoping to maintain competition with other speciality coffee growing countries such as Guatemala and Costa Rica, which have long endured traditions of excellent coffee.



Florentino is featured for its unique, silky body, comparable to Swiss chocolate and its marked presence of blackberry aromatics.

-Robert Rybak

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Sidamo Ardi

On October 1^st, 2009, paleontologists discovered a complete skeleton of Ardipithecus, one of humanity’s oldest ancestors. Nicknamed ‘Ardi’, this discovery was significant since it shed light on the earliest periods of our species, dating back nearly 4.4 million years. This same region would play host to another discovery, days later, of a varietal which would later adopt the name of Ardi. Ethiopia is not only the home to the birth of mankind, but also home of the indigenous coffee plant, which grows wild in forests all around the country. These two discoveries help show how close our connection has been with coffee, since its mythical origins of discovery by Kaldi, the goat herder, to the first documented time as a consumed beverage in the fifteenth-century. Our coupled history with this plant is mostly due to geographical proximity, but has somehow found its way around the planet and into the modern-day.

Sidamo is a region of Ethiopia built upon this history. Since the founding of the Kingdom of Kaffa in the fourteenth-century, coffee cultivation has been a practice ever since. The region is known for producing some of the most diverse illustrations of acidity, ranging from dry, red wines to highly perceptible notes of blueberry. In some part, this has much to do with the dry processing that has made Ethiopian coffees some of the most unique. The Sidamo region is known for utilizing both washed and dried-processing methods, but the dry-processed coffees tend to exemplify the qualities which make this region distinct. The ripe coffee cherries are hand-picked and then left to dry on raised beds, where for a period of two weeks they are turned every three hours to ensure even drying.

What has emerged is a coffee that takes on a more skewed and less balanced flavor. For the Sidamo Ardi, this has resulted in an almost distilled fruit flavor, mostly due to the drying period in which the cherry pulp is left on the seed until it is removed. Aromatically, this coffee encapsulates Kirsch chocolate, combining the nose of brandy with the semi-sweet taste of cherries and dark chocolate. The finish is clean with remnants of the cocoa resonating on the palate. As a slow-drip Kyoto cold-brew coffee, the Ardi retains these same elements while magnifying the body and aromatics, creating an impression more closely resembling Bourbon.

Robert Rybak

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 Kenya Kaimbu AA

The Kaimbu coffee-milling factory is located in the Kiambu District, which borders just north of Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Situated within the greater Central Province, the Kaimbu association is part of a legacy of world-renowned producing regions. The coffees in these regions grow at a much higher altitude, and temperatures naturally range on the cooler side. In addition, the plants grow in highly fertile, well-drained soil. For coffee shrubs, these factors help produce well-developed seeds, which translates into a palatable and refined cup. Kaimbu AA is characterized by three varietals: SL-28, SL-34, and Ruiru 11. The term ‘SL’ stands for Scott Labs, which set off to improve on the original Bourbon varietal from the French-occupied island of Reunion. These coffees are specifically cultivated for their distinctly black-currant and red-fruit qualities. 

Kaimbu uses a screening system to grade their coffees in order to determine quality. AA happens to be one of the higher grades of coffee in Kenya, being that this is a much larger bean. This means the beans pass through 18/64ths of an inch sieve perforations, but cannot pass through size 16, the next size lower. The beans are larger than normal, which tends to fetch a higher price at the weekly Nairobi Coffee Exchange. While a larger bean size may indicate good development at high altitude, it is not a reliable indicator. Kenyan coffees are some of the most prized coffees due to geographic influences (terrior), excellent sourcing in cultivars (notably, the SL-28 and SL-34 varietals), and through one of the most organized coffee exchanges in the world. Kenyan coffees are also rare in their processing method. Unlike other washed-processed coffees, they undergo a longer fermentation time, which results in some of the brightest, cleanest and most complex coffees out of any other producing region.

Kaimbu AA is featured for its unique caramel-apple tartness and berry aromatics. The residing finish is raisiny, with a red-fruit sweetness. Common among top-Kenyan coffees, Kaimbu features a somewhat syrupy body reminiscent of our Kenyan Gaturiri or Ethiopian Guji Shakiso. 

-Robert Rybak

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Honduras has slowly been establishing itself in the greater specialty-coffee world. Like many other Central American coffees, Florentino features less acidity and a greater balance in caramel-like sweetness and milk-chocolate body. A distinct citric tang of orange resonates on the palate and a clean finish highlights the washed-processed characteristics within the cup. Located within the Santa Ana municipality of La Paz, Honduras,  producer Florentino Mendoza cultivates Catuai, a hybrid of Bourbon and Typica varietals. This coffee is labelled SHG, or Strictly High Grown, meaning the coffee is grown at a proper elevation, (which in the case of Florentino happens to be 1540masl) meaning  cherries slowly develop, presenting a coffee which a much higher level of complexity. Luckily for future Honduran coffees, the proper growing regions are plentiful and the land prices are some of the cheapest in Central America. But with shaky infrastructure backing its coffee boom as the world's third largest coffee producer, Honduras could also swing towards a direction of lower quality standards. But the country itself is hoping to maintain competition with other speciality coffee growing countries such as Guatemala and Costa Rica, which have long endured traditions of excellent coffee.

Florentino is featured for its unique, silky body, comparable to Swiss chocolate and its marked presence of blackberry aromatics. 

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Rwanda Coko Cooperative

by Dolores Dickson 

Coko, a small Rwandan cooperative, understands expanding production is foolish if their quality level drops. They have embraced their unique circumstances, like steam embraces the soft pillows of Uncle Ben. This co-op uses a Colombian washing-station instead of the traditional fermentation process, and their coffee comes from the closely surrounding area. The resulting cup quality is terrific plus some. This situation has allowed Coko to start an independent co-op on a site with little access to water – a situation fit like a glove for their amazing fermentation process.

Coko is a warm, intimate cup that highlights the best characters of Rwandan coffee. The dry fragrance is floral with glorious rays of citric sun. The cup has a defined finish that kicks back on a savory clove note – imagine the affectionate baby of a vanilla bean and twiggy spice wrapped warm in a blanket of Meyer lemon peels. This is the perfect cup of hearty affection for those sweater days and attitudes.

The full city roast level tastes of cocoa with a bit of carmelization. The roast has melon and floral whiffs from the first sip on the surface, and a total cherry eclipse of the heart of the cup as it finishes. The body is clear with friendly support from a creamy mouthfeel. This pleasant roast makes for a cup with super-mega-ultra character. 

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  To answer this question it is best to talk what is espresso to us. To us it is an excellent brew method in which we can create drink after drink with incredible consistency and speed. We currently offer a two bean blend consisting of 50% El Salvador La Manzano and 50 % Guatemala I’xil A’chimbal. We find this blend creates a rich mouth feel with an enticing chocolaty body and beautiful rust colored crèma. This blend helps us create a quality experience when you come in contact with our espresso, it covers both the high sweetness and the low body all in one, in our minds it's a step towards perfection.

  The desire and goal with our single origin espresso offerings is to help you the customer understands what truly is espresso and how it can manipulate the bean chosen to create a unique experience. We are going to start offering an option for single origin espressos (opposed to a blend) in addition to our decaf and seasonal blend. This will allow the customer a chance to spend an extra  $.50 to get a truly unique espresso experience. The single origin will guarantee a flavor unlike anything espresso has given you before, no longer our we shopping for a balanced coffee we are going to shoot for the stars in an effort to blow your mind with a sweet acidity or deep dark chocolate notes. In an effort to preserve the quality of the single origins we will be limiting which drinks we allow the shots to be served in. The drinks which we allow our single origin espresso to be served in our the following, Doppio, Competition Cappuccino (5oz), small Americano and a macchiato. This will ensure the quality of all of our single origin espresso will not be altered in larger beverages where the espresso flavor is lost in too much milk. I hope all our espresso drinkers will take the dive with us in an effort to peruse the finest coffees in the world and help us break down the barriers of specialty coffee. 

Thanks so much and enjoy a double shot today!

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