Mahiga AB
Mahiga has undertaken an especially unique and complex processing model. We’re calling it “double fermented and double washed.” Here are the details: after pulping (on the factory’s brand new machine), the coffee is fermented underwater for 12 hours. It’s then washed to minimize mucilage and fermented underwater again for 12-36 hours. After this second fermentation, the tank is drained, filled with fresh water and soaked for an additional 16 hours. Lastly, the coffee is cleaned and sorted in grading channels and taken to drying beds for two weeks before delivery to Othaya’s dry mill.
This is a semi-experimental double-washed and double-fermented coffee from Nyeri, Kenya, produced by smallholders organized around Othaya Cooperative Society’s Mahiga Factory
The flavor profile is so sweet you could chug it and so delicious you don’t want to. We noted honey, lavender, yuzu, and oolong tea among so many other flavors.
Mahiga typically ferments twice: once under water for 12 hours, and again under fresh water for another 12-36 hours, with a washing in between. Double fermentation is very rare in Kenya, and, based on our experience, the technique is strongly correlated with excellent cleanliness and clarity in the cup, and Mahiga’s lots are some of the best and most balanced Kenyas we’ve tasted all year.
Location: Mumwe, Nyeri, Kenya
Producer: 400 producers organized around the
Mahiga Factory
Altitude: 1,700-1,890 meters
Variety: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian
Process: Fermented & Double Washed
Arrive Date: September, 2025
About the farm: The Mahiga wet mill, or factory, has been standing and processing coffee since
1962. It sits in the Rukira village, only marginally south of the equator. This location
means that the average temperature ranges 13-26º Celsius, and with an average
rainfall of 1320 mm annually, the climate is perfect for growing quality arabica
coffee, often with a slow drying period to allow for a clean and balanced cup. Couple
all of these attributes with the red volcanic soils that contribute towards the bright
acidity often found in Kenyan coffee, and you have everything nature can provide
for a perfect cup.
