Ichamama - for the first time as Natural

Unfortunately, this coffee has been consumed, but we plan to have it back with the next harvest.

The washed coffee from the Ichamama cooperative has impressed us since 2013 and for the first time they made a natural for us and a friendly roastery. A berry-velvety filter coffee with notes of blackberries, butter biscuits and vanilla . Different, but still familiar, the coffee combines two worlds - the liveliness of a washed coffee and the velvety sweetness of a natural.

Ichamama coffee information

Roasted for: all common filter methods such as: hand filter, AeroPress, French Press and Cold Brew

Origin: Nyeri, Kenya

Producer: Ichamama Cooperative

Varieties: SL28, SL34. 100% Arabica

Post-harvest process: dried in the cherry

Arrived at the roastery: July 2023

All our coffees are shipped as whole beans.

Brewing recommendation Ichamama V60

Tell me more about Ichamama

The coffee maker love story! In 2013 we visited the Ichamama cooperative for the first time. We have fond memories of meeting the people, but also the animals - we were allowed to eat a freshly slaughtered goat, among other things. In 2014, our Benjamin became Swiss champion in the Brewers Cup with the Ichamama. Felix took part in the Swiss championship in October 2022 with the fresh harvest and received top marks for the coffee. We have been in contact with the producers since 2013 and buy their coffee year after year. We have now co-financed drying beds so that the bottleneck of drying can be alleviated.

Why does coffee taste the way it does?

We were so excited when Samuel from KCCE told us that the Ichamama Cooperative had made five bags of Natural for us. The coffee tastes pretty much as you would expect: year after year, the coffees from Ichamama bring a bright, juicy berry note with a medium body and a tea-like texture. The dry Post-harvest process gives the coffee a little more weight and adds a velvety sweetness that makes the coffee more flattering.

Why did we buy this coffee?

Because it is so interesting to see how the same cherries produce a different flavor profile, depending on the post-harvest process. And because the coffee is a novelty for Kenya: there are no "naturals" in the Kenyan coffee tradition. The coffees that are dried in the cherry are called mbunis and are considered inferior coffees that are not intended for export. A change of attitude occurs very sporadically, the more dry-processed coffees are exported.

How do we roast this coffee?

We roast the coffee as a 12.5kg batch in the 30kg Giesen roaster for 8 minutes and a development time of 40 seconds. We start the roast with 60% energy and gradually reduce the gas after four minutes. We roast the coffee one minute faster than the washed coffee to maximize the intensity of the coffee.