About the Coffee
Kenya K72 Washed Process
The K72, or Kenya 72-Hour Fermentation Washed process, is an extended and highly meticulous washed-processing method. Unlike a conventional washed process with one fermentation stage, K72 uses three separate 24-hour fermentation cycles.
After the coffee cherries are carefully sorted and depulped, the beans—still coated in mucilage—are submerged in water and left to ferment for 24 hours. The fermentation water is then drained, and the coffee is thoroughly washed before being placed in fresh, clean water for another 24-hour fermentation period.
This process is repeated three times, creating a total fermentation time of approximately 72 hours. The repeated water changes encourage a clean, controlled fermentation while gradually removing the remaining mucilage. After the final cycle, the coffee is washed thoroughly and dried slowly on raised beds until it reaches the desired moisture content.
Drying generally takes between five and ten days, depending on sunlight, humidity, and airflow. The coffee is covered during rain and at night to prevent moisture reabsorption. Drying continues until the beans reach a stable moisture content of approximately 10–12%.
This extended washed process produces a remarkably clean cup with bright acidity, clarity, and a refined, layered character.
About
Thunguri
Thunguri is a long-established cooperative wet mill within the Rumukia Farmers Cooperative Society, located in Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri County, on the western slopes of Mount Kenya. Positioned beside the local Orthodox church, the factory is both a trusted community landmark and an important meeting point for the hundreds of smallholder farmers it serves. At around 1,800 metres, the area’s deep red volcanic soils provide a strong foundation for coffee cultivation.
During the harvest, farmers are asked to deliver only fully ripe red cherries. The factory carries out a further hand-sorting stage before processing. Its classic washed lots use approximately 48 hours of soaking fermentation, followed by washing, brief drying and slow drying on raised beds over a total cycle of around 13–14 days.
Thunguri has also begun exploring experimental natural processing. In these lots, the cherries are sealed in yellow polyethylene bags for approximately 72 hours to create a controlled low-oxygen fermentation, then sun-dried for around 28 days, with the schedule adjusted according to weather conditions. Its washed coffees remain defined by bright, tensile acidity, full berry character and excellent clarity—an expressive signature of the Rumukia system.