Ichamama - for the first time as a natural

The washed coffee from the Ichamama cooperative has impressed us since 2013 and for the first time they made a natural one for us and a friendly roaster. A berry-velvety filter coffee with notes of blackberries, shortbread and vanilla . Different, yet 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 of 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 remember the encounter with the people well, but also with the animals - we were able to eat, among other things, a freshly slaughtered goat. 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 Ichamama Cooperative made five sacks of natural for us. The coffee tastes about 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 one Post-harvest process gives the coffee a little more weight and adds a velvety sweetness that makes the coffee flattering.

Why did we buy this coffee?

Because it's so interesting to see how the same cherries result in a different flavor profile depending on the post-harvest process. And because 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 low-quality coffees that are not intended for export. A change of attitude occurs very selectively, 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 roasting 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.