Donut Jam - Kenya Peaberry Washed
September is here and we're bringing back one of the best beans to have ever been a bean; Donut Jam. Yes Kenya season has finally arrived and we're starting it off with a bang. You can expect everything you know and love from Donut Jam; big jammy juiciness, cakey sweetness and a deep richness. Like the best donut you've ever had but it's a morning cuppa? Hell fuckin' yeah.
Donut Jam - Process & Harvest
The region of Kirinyaga benefits from fertile volcanic soils and high altitude, typically around 1,700 meters above sea level. Farmers delivering to Muthugi-ini factory grow SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11, varieties renowned for their complex flavours, vibrant fruit notes and delightful acidity. Ruiru 11, developed in response to the catastrophic 1968 coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in Kenya, is a high-yielding coffee variety known for its compact stature, disease resistance, and excellent cup quality. Bred through a complex process that integrated these desirable traits, Ruiru 11 was designed to address both agricultural challenges and market demands. Remarkably, it begins to yield fruit within just two years, offering farmers a resilient and productive crop option.
The ‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They quickly became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. They are cultivated with a serious eye towards sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible.
Farmers are increasingly adopting Good Agricultural Practices that minimise environmental impact.
PB stands for peaberry. Peaberry is a name given to a very specific shape of coffee bean. In Spanish, peaberries are called “caracol”, which means “snail”. The name aptly describes the shape of the peaberry bean, which appears slightly curved in on itself.
Peaberries are the result of a natural mutation in the coffee cherry. Whereas there are usually two beans nestled together in each fruit, a cherry with a peaberry mutation only forms one bean. Thus, peaberries are a single, rounder bean.
Peaberry mutations occur in approximately 5% of all coffee. The beans are known for being rounder, smaller and denser, which can contribute to a more even roast colour when handled correctly. Many people find peaberries to have a sweeter flavour profile, as well.
Since peaberries are a natural mutation that is not visible from the outside of the cherry, peaberries must be sorted out during the screen grading stage of dry milling. The peaberry screens have the smallest holes, which are oblong to allow the rounder beans to fall through.
Chipp Coffee Co Roastery Update
Honestly I don't even know what to write here, August has been a blur. With unrelenting scorching heat and an absolutely, insanely busy month we've not had a moment to actually sit and reflect on the things that have actually happened. We've sold a metric shit tonne of coffee so I guess that's good right? We have some new equipment on the way which we hope is going to increase our output massively and we're implementing some new systems which should help this even more. Basically you lovely lot won't notice any different but for us it'll be massive progress and change we're looking forward to.
What We're Listening To
Instead of bringing you a cool artist we've been listening to this month I want to highlight a couple of albums that have been standing out recently. These aren't new albums they're just really great albums.
The first comes from the boys in Downswing. This is really dirty groovy metalcore with beefy riffs and breakdowns, huge drums and soaring cleans and melodies in the choruses. Their latest album 'And Everything Was Dark' is an absolute banger from start to finish.
The second comes from the guys in Greyhaven. Their latest release 'Keep It Quiet' is a brutal sonic journey that never goes the way you think it's going to. For a lot of this album I spent it thinking "how the fuck do you even come up with something like this?" and I mean that in the best way possible. This album absolutely slaps and I can guarantee you've never listened to anything like this before.
Finally we have Every Time I Die. These guys are one of the absolute GOATS of the metal scene and you can spot an ETID song from a mile away. Unfortunately these dudes broke up a few years back and they've left a huge hole is the metal scene and a lot of peoples hearts in the process. There isn't a bad album but my personal fave, which may be a controversial opinion, is Radical from 2021.
