Growing area · Kenya

Kirinyaga

Mount Kenya county whose coffees often show bright acidity, blackcurrant and a clean, juicy finish.

Kirinyaga grows coffee at roughly 1,600-1,800 m. Its cups are often described as bright, with blackcurrant notes and a clean, juicy finish. It picks two crops, an early one around May to July and a late one around October to December, according to one roaster guide.

Field notes

  1. i

    Kirinyaga delivered about 8.93 million kg in 2023/24, level with Kiambu at 18% of national output, and almost all of it came from cooperatives.

  2. ii

    In the 2025/26 auction season Kericho overtook Kirinyaga as Kenya's top coffee county by volume and value.

In the cup, according to guides

  • AcidityMoreDescribed as bright, with blackcurrant notes.
  • FloralOften notedOne roaster guide describes floral notes with a tropical twist.

Processing

Sources · 5 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10. Some details here are less settled than others.
  1. The Complete Guide to Kenyan Coffee · Brewed Barista
  2. Ten counties produced 91 per cent of Kenya's coffee output in 2023/2024 · Kenya News Agency (reporting Agriculture and Food Authority data)
  3. Kericho emerges as Kenya's leading coffee producer as NCE records growth · Kenya News Agency
  4. Kenya Coffee: Growing, Taste, and Where To Buy · Colipse Coffee (roaster blog)
  5. Coffee production in Kenya · Wikipedia

Place positions: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Coastlines: Natural Earth (public domain).