Juicy sherbet and lemon tea with notes of sweet stonefruits. Extremely moreish!

For this coffee, we paid 41% above the FairTrade price, because we are committed to an economically sustainable future for coffee growers. Learn more

Ndocha Estate sits in the central highlands of Kenya, in Kiambu County. Owned by Geoffrey Gachogo Karugondo, this small family farm grows coffee at 1700 metres above sea level, producing a clean and juicy washed coffee bursting with sherbet and white peach charm.

Ndocha is one of three farms inherited by Geoffrey and his siblings after the passing of their parents. The original family estate, known as Muhathi, was divided into three plots: Ndocha, Dagitu and Muhathi. Each sibling manages their own shamba, the Swahili word for farm, but they all share a wet mill built by their father in the 1980s. This mill, or factory as it is often called in Kenya, allows them to process their coffee with consistency and care, while still marketing their lots independently.

The family’s connection to coffee stretches back to the early 1960s. In the wake of the Mau Mau uprising and the land reforms that followed, their grandparents were able to plant 100 coffee trees on land that had previously been inaccessible to African Kenyans. Before these reforms, all coffee estates in the region were owned by British settlers, and the industry was heavily restricted to prevent local ownership and participation.

This lot, harvested in December 2024, is a washed process coffee made up of SL28 and Ruiru 11 varietals. It was sourced through Melbourne Coffee Merchants and marks Rumble’s first year working with Ndocha. Scoring 88 on the cupping table, this coffee is juicy and vibrant, with sherbet and lemon tea acidity balanced by a soft, sweet white peach finish. With a small lot size of just 180 kilograms, it is a bright and elegant showcase of Kenya’s highland terroir.