This natural Kenyan pushes big fruit flavors in the cup that were a bit rustic, like dried fruit, with some more complex fermented notes too. The ground coffee released a scent of dried stone fruit and mango, with a creamy note of fruit smoothie. After pouring hot water on the grounds, the crust that formed at the top of our glasses had a powerful sweetness of caramelized sugars, accented by notes of berry sauce, fermented peach, and woody whole spices. The brewed coffee had very nice stone fruit flavors that came off like kombucha, dried apricot, and peach Italian soda with cream. There’s a very pleasant acidity in the lighter roasts, also reminiscent of stone fruit. As the coffee cooled down a bit, we noted flavor profiles of spiced fruit chutney, orange marmalade, and woody Chai spices. This coffee’s sweet finish was also something that stood out to us, and it does a great job balancing fruit flavors, and some of the rustic cup qualities.

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Dark fruit notes and strong spiced aspects flourish in the dry fragrance, with accents of berry and ripe mango, cinnamon and cardamom spices, and a honey sweetness underneath. The wetted crust smells very sweet, with potent aromatics too. Our light roasts had a scent of ripe fruits and honey raised in the steam, along with herbal/floral accent notes that add a complex layer within. The cup complexity tops our list, one of the biggest factors playing into that being fruit flavors and potent aromatics. The fruits are berry-like in the brew, with a juicy plumpness in mouthfeel. Flavors or blueberry and cooked peach bring out “pie filling” aspects in the profile, with top note accents of red berry juice, mixed melon salad, cantaloupe, with some green honeydew in the finish. The fragrant aroma compliments the ripe berry notes, such as perfumed aspects of fresh rue herb that have a floral element to them. I am impressed by our medium roast of this Ethiopian- a blackberry flavor that pushed through heavier roast tones of dark cocoa, and rustic cacao. Acidity is rounded off a bit, but I didn’t feel like it was missing with the juicy fruit accents lending to an acidic impression.

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There was a fruited sweetness that came through in the dry fragrance that reminded dried plum, and along with brown sugar notes, brought out some cookie-like pastry accents. The wet aroma opens up to include citrus notes such as orange marmalade, along with red fruits, a hint of grape, and a hefty undercurrent of raw sugar sweetness. Acidity is a strong point in Gikirima’s cup profile, an aspect that is highlighted by flavor notes of tart fruits and teas. The level of sweetness at City roast is moderate, just enough to help round off some of the more vibrant flavors, like huckleberries, Meyer lemon, and rooibos tea. It’s a refreshing coffee, one I’d reach for to make iced coffee on a hot Summer day (oh, how I long for one right now!). There are some spice notes that come into play, especially in the aftertaste. For me it covered the aromatic spices that carry a bittering quality, like saffron, powdered ginger, and even a hint of turmeric. Gikirima has bright cup flavors and complexity at City/City+ roast levels, perfect for pour over.

If you like this citrusy coffee and want to try something similar with a little twist, try our Nicaragua (light) or Costa Rica (medium).

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Dark fruit notes and strong spiced aspects flourish in the dry fragrance, with accents of berry and ripe mango, cinnamon and cardamom spices, and a honey sweetness underneath. The wetted crust smells very sweet, with potent aromatics too. Our light roasts had a scent of ripe fruits and honey raised in the steam, along with herbal/floral accent notes that add a complex layer within. The cup complexity tops our list, one of the biggest factors playing into that being fruit flavors and potent aromatics. The fruits are berry-like in the brew, with a juicy plumpness in mouthfeel. Flavors or blueberry and cooked peach bring out “pie filling” aspects in the profile, with top note accents of red berry juice, mixed melon salad, cantaloupe, with some green honeydew in the finish. The fragrant aroma compliments the ripe berry notes, such as perfumed aspects of fresh rue herb that have a floral element to them. I am impressed by our medium roast of this Ethiopian- a blackberry flavor that pushed through heavier roast tones of dark cocoa, and rustic cacao. Acidity is rounded off a bit, but I didn’t feel like it was missing with the juicy fruit accents lending to an acidic impression.

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