Karundu is one of those Nyeri sub-locations that cup judges whisper about. The Kiandu Factory's rigorous same-day delivery policy and double-fermentation washed method produce a textbook Kenyan AB: structured, clean, and layered with the kind of complex fruit that only SL28 and SL34 at altitude can deliver. Grade AB means slightly smaller screen size than AA, but equivalent — often superior — cup complexity. A coffee for those who understand what Kenya can truly offer. 

Tasting notes: grapefruit, peach.

Located in Karundu, just outside Tetu village in Nyeri County, Kiandu Factory is part of Mutheka FCS — a cooperative founded in 2004, managing seven factories and around 6,000 smallholders. Surrounded by the Aberdare Range and the western slopes of Mount Kenya, the area is world-renowned for producing some of Kenya's finest coffees. Producers are rewarded with premium prices for delivering only ripe, intact cherries.

Cherries are hand-picked and delivered to the mill the same day. Factory staff sort out unripe or damaged fruit before processing. The coffee then follows Kenya's traditional double-fermentation washed method: pulping, 12–24h fermentation, washing, a second 12–24h fermentation, and a final wash with clean mountain river water. After washing, the coffee dries on raised beds for 10–14 days with regular turning, then rests in parchment before hulling, grading, and hand-sorting.

SL28 and SL34 were selected at Kenya's Scott Laboratories in the 1930s for exceptional cup quality, drought resilience, and adaptability to high altitudes. SL28 traces back to a Bourbon selection from Tanzania and excels in drier, elevated zones. SL34, derived from French Bourbon/Typica material, thrives with good rainfall on the slopes where Kiandu sits. Both varieties favour 1,500–2,100 masl, where slow cherry ripening develops complex sugars and bright acidity.