Ritual Coffee Roasters: Kagumoini

Roaster: Ritual Coffee Roasters

Roaster Location: San Francisco, CA

Name: Kagumoini

Origin: Murang’a County, Kenya

Date: November 2021

Style: West coast light roast

Notes from Roaster: strawberry, lemonade, sugarcane, cranberry

Summary:

About Ritual Coffee Roasters

We fell in love with Ritual Coffee Roasters living on 16th and Mission in 2005. They had a roaster right in the middle of their retail space that filled the spartan, yet stylish space with the most wonderful aroma of happiness. Their espresso changed our minds about what coffee could be; bright, full, exhilarating. It seemed at the time that everyone in there was starting a new web business.

Ritual has expanded to six locations and is a supplier to many more. They are known for pushing the west coast light roast style forward and maintain their reputation as one of the leading roasters for bright, sweet, clean roasts.

About Kagumoini Area Small Producers

This fully washed coffee comes from a small farm cooperative with farms from 1600 to 1800 meters elevation. The cooperative has been building a financial reserve to support and train farmers over multiple growing seasons.

Cupping Notes:

• Fragrance/Aroma: Some citrus fruit notes in the dry aroma. Consistent with the style, there is little to no roasted or caramelized note in the wet aroma.

• Taste, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Balance: The bright citrus obscures some of the nuance noted by the roaster with strawberry and cranberry. Great balance, but a bit on the light side for body compared to the roaster’s notes. A bit of an off aftertaste in the back of the mouth.

• Sweetness, Uniformity, and Cleanliness: Clean cup and good sweetness.

Cupping Score: 9 out of 10 (Outstanding)

Pour-over Paper Filter Notes: After a week of drinking this in the morning, we continued to believe that this is better suited to an occasional afternoon cup than a daily standard. This is not a surprise given the single origin and roasting style, nor a negative comment.