There’s a few interesting layers to this coffee- for one, ruiru 11 is a relatively new Kenyan varietal, developed in the 1980s in response to a brutalising Coffee Berry Disease epidemic that destroyed about half of the coffee production in all of Kenya. Years were spent breeding a variety that would deliver high resistance to CBD to help prevent anything so devastating from happening again. The particularly interesting element for this specific coffee though, is that because it relies on hand pollination for mass propagation, it has been difficult to produce adequate volumes of seed to meet farmer demand, making it a point of intrigue anytime you see it outside of Kenya. Additionally, because it’s a Kenyan variety, it’s also uncommon that we get the chance to taste it as a natural, making this a special little treat for us all. + Read More

There’s a few interesting layers to this coffee- for one, ruiru 11 is a relatively new Kenyan varietal, developed in the 1980s in response to a brutalising Coffee Berry Disease epidemic that destroyed about half of the coffee production in all of Kenya. Years were spent breeding a variety that would deliver high resistance to CBD to help prevent anything so devastating from happening again. The particularly interesting element for this specific coffee though, is that because it relies on hand pollination for mass propagation, it has been difficult to produce adequate volumes of seed to meet farmer demand, making it a point of intrigue anytime you see it outside of Kenya. Additionally, because it’s a Kenyan variety, it’s also uncommon that we get the chance to taste it as a natural, making this a special little treat for us all. + Read More