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Tegu Reserve - Kenya: Release and Sourcing Notes

Posted by Oliver Stormshak on

Oliver Stormshak building the Tegu Reserve Lot at Central Coffee Mills in Karinyaga Kenya.

It's no secret I love Kenyan coffees. Actually If I were to bet I would say that most coffee professionals would also say they love Kenyan Coffee. One could and do argue that Kenya producers the best coffees in the world. Kenya tends to dominant the category of high acid coffees, a characteristic in coffee that reminds one of a sensation of fresh citrus or more often than not a wine like sensation.

I love traveling to Kenya, it's one of my personal favorites. This year marks our third year sourcing Directly. Honestly it is also one of the most frustrating places to source coffee. The system of using a "Marketing Agent" really lends itself to many buyers showing up on the same couple of weeks that coffee are arriving into the Marketing Agents Inventory. These weeks are filled with some the very best coffees in the world being cupped with dozen of International Buyers in the same room at the same table trying to select that one lot they might deem the best Kenyan offering this year.

Over a three day period we cupped over 300 micro lots of the best Kenyan offers to bring home only 5 lots this year.

We have always known of the Tegu Factory (Washing Station) they have had a stellar reputation over the years. This year we cupped dozens of Tegu lots, we selected two this year to bring home to Olympia. One of these lots (our favorite) we have called Tegu Reserve It is comprised of only 30 vacuumed packed 30kg boxes and is simply stellar. After finding this coffee on the cupping table we traveled up country to meet and negotiate pricing for the lot we discovered. 

Tegu Factory drying tables as the season closes on another year of harvest.

We work in a manner that is equitable and transparent to our producers, exporters and Importers. After pricing was agreed upon with the cooperative we work to select an exporter and importer. This lot was brought into the United States by a joint effort with InterAmerican Coffee, and Nordic Approach.

Thousands of bags ready for export at Central Kenya Coffee Mills in Kirinyaga Kenya.


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