Mugaya AA, Kenya

Flavour Description: This is a vibrant and crisp cup with an aroma of caramel. The flavour notes are dominated by tropical stone fruit, yellow raisin and a longlasting cooling finish of rhubarb. The mouthfeel is light yet coating. 

Colour: Light purple
Category: Adventurous 
Producer: Mugaya Factory
Location:Mutira division of the Kirinyaga district
Varietal: SL28, Ruiru 11, Batain
Processed: January 2026
Drying: On metallic raised beds in 12-20 days. 
Cooperative: Mutira Farmers Cooperative Society
Elevation: 1800 masl
Soil: Mainly Nitisol, red volcanic soil. Nitisols occur in highlands and on volcanic steep slopes. They are developed from volcanic rocks and have better chemical and physical properties than other tropical soils.
Processing: Once at the Mugaya factory, the skin and pulp of the cherries are removed in a mechanical pulper. They are then graded by density into three grades by the pulper and fermented separately, depending on the grade, for 24-36 hours under shade. After fermentation the coffees are washed and once again graded by density in the washing channels, after which the coffee is soaked in clean water for 6-12 hours. The coffee is then sun dried between 12 to 20 days depending on the weather condition on African drying beds.
Price transparency: The FOB paid for this coffee was $4.8/lb

We are welcoming back Mugaya, a washing station in Mutira, Kirinyaga, Kenya. We are excited to have coffee from Kenya back in, and Mugaya with is crisp and tropical stone fruits will certainly will set the bar high for the year. 

Everyone in coffee admires coffee from Kenya. Producers on the other side of the globe wish they could produce coffee more similar to how it is in Kenya. Roasters love how even the coffee is, baristas love how consistent it extracts, and the drinker will surely remember the clarity and acidity in the cup. For many of us, a coffee from Kenya has been the first eye-opener to what coffee can taste like and still today it is nothing that resembles the coffee from Kenya. We have bought from Mugaya many years, yet it is a taste profile that feels alive and a touch different year on year. This year we find it more of yellow raisins and yellow and tropical stone fruits than the previous. Yet the juicy and dominant crisp taste profile we admire. 

About Mugaya Factory
Mugaya is a factory (term used for washing station in Kenya) that no less than 1032 farmers are delivering coffee cherries to as members of the cooperative that owns the station. The average member delivering coffee to Mugaya has a farm of about half a hectare in size. At the factory, the coffee is divided by size, where the AA selection is the biggest sized beans. 

In the history of grading coffeee, the AA is traditionally known to be the highest quality selection of beans. I find that to not always be true. The AB and the AB, can be as amazing. But it is true that the beans are different in flavour from each others depending on size. The AA is often more intense in the taste profile. In the case of Mugaya, we found the coffee very sweet and with a high and vibrant acidity. 

Kirinyaga County is positioned approximately 192 kilometres northeast of Nairobi, sharing borders with the Nyeri and Embu Counties. The region offers favourable conditions for coffee cultivation, featuring mineral-rich red volcanic loam soils and the elevated altitudes characteristic of the area. 

Mutira Cooperative and sustainablity 
Beyond processing, the Mutira Cooperative Society is actively involved in educational programs that support farmers with training and sustainable farming practices, helping improve both coffee quality and productivity over time.