Kieni — Coffee Collective

Full-bodied, clean, and sweet, with notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, and rhubarb. Kieni is a washed Kenyan filter coffee from a cooperative Coffee Collective has partnered with for close to two decades.

About Coffee Collective

Coffee Collective is a specialty coffee roastery based in Copenhagen, Denmark, founded in 2007 by Peter Dupont, Casper Engel Rasmussen, and Klaus Thomsen. Their approach starts with the people who grow the beans: they trade directly with farmers and pay well above market price, treating quality coffee the way you'd treat a great wine — as something worth rewarding fairly. That investment gives producers the means to improve processing, invest in their farms, and keep pushing quality higher, cup after cup.

About the Coffee – Kieni, Nyeri

Kieni comes from the Kieni Cooperative in Nyeri, on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya — one of the most celebrated coffee-growing regions in the world. Coffee Collective has worked with Kieni for close to twenty years, a partnership built through repeat visits and a shared focus on quality. The best lots from Kieni show a floral note alongside vivid fruit and berry character, carried by a soft, smooth mouthfeel.

Grown between 1600–1800 masl, the farms deliver a mix of the classic Kenyan cultivars SL28 and SL34, alongside the newer Batian and Ruiru 11 varieties.

What Makes This Coffee Special

Kieni is fully washed, the traditional Kenyan process that produces exceptional clarity in the cup. Cherries are depulped, fermented, washed, and graded by density before being dried slowly and evenly. It's a meticulous process that brings out the bright acidity and distinctive fruit character Kenyan coffee is known for — and it's why Coffee Collective keeps coming back to Kieni year after year.

What to Expect in the Cup

Full-bodied and clean, with a natural sweetness underneath. Expect notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, and rhubarb, with a floral lift in the best lots and a soft, smooth mouthfeel that balances the coffee's bright acidity.

Ideal For

• Pour-over and filter brewing methods
• Coffee drinkers who enjoy bright, fruit-forward profiles
• Exploring classic Kenyan washed coffees
• Those who care about direct trade and fair pricing at origin

Frequently Asked Questions

Who roasted this coffee?

This coffee was roasted by Coffee Collective, a specialty roastery based in Copenhagen, Denmark, founded in 2007 by Peter Dupont, Casper Engel Rasmussen, and Klaus Thomsen. They're known for trading directly with farmers and paying well above market price for quality.

Where is this coffee grown?

Kieni is grown in Nyeri, Kenya, on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya, at 1600–1800 masl — a region famous for producing some of the world's most distinctive washed coffees.

What varieties are used?

A mix of the classic Kenyan cultivars SL28 and SL34, along with the newer Batian and Ruiru 11 varieties.

What processing method is used?

Kieni is fully washed: cherries are depulped, fermented, washed, and graded by density before slow, even drying.

What does it taste like?

Full-bodied, clean, and sweet, with notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, and rhubarb, and a soft, smooth mouthfeel.