Tano Ndogo
Impressions: dark berries, caramel, stone fruit, rhubarb
Roast degree: 2/5
Country: Kenya
Region: Kiambu County
Farmers: Tano N'dogo
Variety: SL-28 (with a small portion being SL-34 and Ruiri)
Process: Washed
Partner importer: Sucafina
Partner exporter: Vava Coffee
This coffee from Tano Ndogo- translates in Swahili to “The Small Five,”- refers to the five producers with small plots of land who process their coffee together. In a country and region predominantly controlled by the large cooperative system, these five farmers have a unique micro cooperative set up.
They are doing amazingly well, and we almost didn't get any from them this year: they have a great relationship with a US based roaster and they usually buy all their production! So enjoy it because it might be our last year bringing it in. (we were lucky to even get some bags ;-) )
We are all about relationship building at Rabbit Hole, and we are so grateful to be working with Vava. You can learn more about her, Kenya and Vava Coffee in her book Coffee Milk Blood.
You can also find the Tano Ndogo as part of our Chocolate Berry blend!
Want to try a slightly darker version? Check it out here!
In 2009 Vava Angwenyi made the decision to create real change in the Kenyan Coffee industry. Between the challenges of poverty, corruption and fear, she saw smiles. She saw smallholder coffee farmers that wanted to change their lives but could not get their voices heard.
Vava Specialty Coffee is a social enterprise in Nairobi that seeks to cause positive social and economic disruption within the coffee industry and create sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers.
She recently started the Gentro del Futuro - Lamu project, an organization tackling two problems the coffee industry needs to solve: farmer profitability and the involvement of the next generation of farmers. You can learn about the project here.
DONATE directly with this link: Gentro Del Futuro - Donation.
Say hello to a crisp new Kenyan coffee, the Tano Ndogo! Bright and juicy, it's full stone fruit and citrus (blood orange and nectarine).
We can also feel the classic dark berries of the SL varietals (blackberry, black currant) and the sweet caramel finish.
It get a bit funky and acidic in the finish with hints of rhubarb.
It's definitely ok to brew this as filter or espresso, but we prefer it as filter and it is not the most suitable options if you have a super automatic machine as the espresso grind needs to be very fine.
Want to explore a darker roast of this beautiful coffee? Check it out here!
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 18 g | 2.2:1 | 35-40 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 18g | 2:1 | 36-40 sec |
| Americano | 18 g | 2.3:1 | 30-35 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
23 g | 16.5:1 | 3:45-4:15 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 16.5:1 | 4:00-5:30 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 16:1 | 4:00 min steep time |
Farmers: Tano Ndogo
Exporter: Vava Coffee
Importer: Sucafina
Price paid by us to Sucafina for the landed coffee to our roastery: 5.95USD/lb for the green coffee + 0,40USD/lb for the shipping from New Jersey.
FOB price: The price paid to Vava Coffee before it departed origin: 5.15USD/lb (minus the importer financing fees)
Farmgate price: 115 Kenyan Chillings (KES) per kg of cherry. This translate to roughly 4,50USD/lb of green coffee.
The national average farmgate price was between 82 and 113 KES per kg of cherries, with the highest recorded transaction at 118KES and the lowest at 10KES. Those stats are mostly for big factories.