HOT ! Mamuto AA, Kenya

George Howell Coffee has been buying Mamuto since 2006. It has never faltered. The late Walter Mathagu always produced coffees that were perfectly ripe and sweet. They ranged from excellent to exquisite. Even as weather patterns challenged, they never overcame him.

Walter was THE small farmer pioneer of quality coffee in Kenya and a consummate craftsman until his passing in 2021. He was an agricultural officer serving the government of Kenya for seventeen years before retiring in 1987. More than anyone, Walter put his coffee region, Kirinyaga, on the map. He raised small farmer awareness to what is possible and brought seekers of great specialty coffee in growing numbers to his area. Thank you, Walter! His legacy continues through his family - his sons, Peter, Jason, and Patrick Mathagu who now run this great farm.

Walter grew the SL-28 variety - sweet, full-bodied, and complex - easily the equal of any Gesha, which can sell for over $1,000 per pound. Mamuto’s beans have proved again and again to be the Bordeaux Grand Cru of coffee. In addition to coffee, the Mathagus maintain a herd of dairy cattle and grow bananas, maize, beans and macadamia on their 21-acre farm which Mrs. Abishag Mathagu managed for many years.

Taking inspiration from their family, “Mamuto” means “father, mother, and children.” Walter and Abishag have six children: three boys and three girls. They named the farm by combining the first two letters from three words: Mathagu, Muthoni (his wife’s maiden name), and Toto (child in Swahili).

Mamuto grows beneath the slopes of the usually overcast 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya, which looms above to the north. The soil is deep red-orange, set amongst a lush green and very gently undulating landscape. 

We continue to buy Mamuto’s entire crop. All the coffee is processed at the farm right through drying. After drying, the coffee remains in parchment approximately six weeks, resting in aerated bins before being transported for final milling and packaging.

To experience Mamuto, roasted and brewed properly, is to drink coffee in every way comparable to the finest red wines. Farms around the world have tried to grow SL28, but so far, none have come close to producing the lush flavors Kenya is capable of. Mamuto is well balanced with lively dark fruit notes that fully reflect the terroir.