Here's how we brewed this quintessential summer cup from Los Angeles’s Unity, who profiled this roast exclusively for Fellow Drops.
Unity visited the Ndimaini cooperative in 2022 and were struck by their exceptional coffee quality and transparency. The majority of members live within 3 km of the washing station and their cherries are pulped and washed upon arrival. 90% of this lot consists of the beautifully bright SL-28 and SL-34 varieties. We tasted white grape, stone fruit, and lime: a clean, vibrant easy-drinker.
🌍 Origin: Nyeri County, Kenya
💦 Process: Washed
🔬 Variety: SL-28, SL-34, Batian, Ruiru
⛰️ Elevation: 1,640 MASL
🔥 Roast: Light
Brew Recipe for Unity Kenya Ndimaini AA
Using Stagg X Dripper
Ingredients:
22g of Kenya Ndimaini AA
350g of water
205°F
Steps
1. Measure and grind coffee at a medium-coarse setting
Measure out 22g of coffee beans and grind them on a medium setting. We used setting 6 on Ode with SSP Burr / 5 on Ode with Gen 2 Burrs, which is about 4 on Ode with Gen 1 Burrs. Suggested setting on Opus is between 5 and 6 - and note that the inner ring was set to 0 at 5 for us!
2. Heat water and rinse the filter
Heat water to 205°F and rinse your filter before putting your coffee grounds in.
3. Pour 50g water for the bloom
Fully saturate your coffee grounds with 50g of water, and allow 40 seconds for the bloom.
4. Continue pouring in four stages
After the bloom, pour to 150g; then when the water is approximately 0.5 in above the bed of grounds, agitate with 5 gentle swirls, then pour to 250g; once water drains to about 0.5 in above the bed of grounds, pour to 350g; once the water drains to about 0.5 in above the bed of grounds, agitate with 5 gentle swirls. The total brew time varies, but we’re aiming for around 4:30 minutes.
5. Decant into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Look out for the incredible flavors of white grape, lime, and melon.
Espresso
Ingredients:
20g of the same coffee
40g of water at 205°F
1:2 ratio
28-32 second pull time
Steps
1. Measure and grind coffee
Measure out 20g of coffee beans.
2. Make sure your espresso machine is at temp.
Water should ideally be at 205°F.
4. Grind your coffee
We suggest a brew time of 28-32 seconds.
4. Pull shot at 9 bars!
Preinfuse for 3 seconds, then pull your shot at 9 bars with around a 28-32 second total pull time (including preinfusion).
5. Decant into your favorite demitasse cup and enjoy!
Let us know what flavors pop out in your espresso. We suggest stirring with a small spoon before tasting to integrate all layers of the ‘spro!