August 24, 2018
Mamuto Returns!
Kenya SL28 varietals are one of the great coffees of the world; there are no other varietals or origins, in my opinion, that can claim to be superior. No other coffee in the world swells so amply with deep, clean, velvety dark fruit flavor, filling one’s mouth like a fine full-bodied red wine. There is no better Kenya representative, year after year, than Mamuto, which we are proud to have been offering since 2006. It must be taken black, to be appreciated to its fullest.
This year’s Mamuto harvest is a masterpiece. It arrived very late, however, and has a patina of age (cedar wood note). As always there are three offerings of Mamuto: AA, AB and Peaberry, representing different sizes and shapes, for even, controlled roasts. The AA is the largest bean; it is most carefully sorted for removal of defects, and tends to be the most uniformly ripe. In a great year, as this one is, the AB’s can be nearly equal in quality, and are a great value. Peaberries are formed at the tips of a coffee tree’s branches, where some fruits produce only one seed (bean); these beans take on round shapes. They are sorted by specially shaped sieves and represent a tiny percentage of the crop. Some people prefer them for their typically brighter acidity.
Great harvests are often a result of smaller yields. There are half the Mamuto AA’s of the previous year and only a few hundred pounds of peaberry. We will be spreading these out as Limited Roasts until April 2019, when we expect the new crop to arrive. We have far more AB’s, which will be roasting every week, and they are delicious!
– George Howell