Celebrating 15 Years of Craft: Etago Es (Koji Processed)

Additional Information

From our very first pours in 2011 to the bustling community hubs our Cambridge and Shepreth locations have become today, it has been an incredible 15-year journey. To mark this milestone, we set out to find a release that reflects everything we love about the evolution of speciality coffee.

The Etago Es is exactly that. Hitting all the right notes with the complexity of a timeless jazz standard, this Kenyan single-origin coffee is a true powerhouse. While it retains the iconic vibrance you expect from East African beans, an innovative Koji fermentation process adds an entirely new, deeply sweet dimension of texture.

Pushing the Envelope: The Koji Process

Sourced from the lush, high-altitude slopes of Kericho County, the secret to this coffee's incredibly plush mouthfeel lies in its highly experimental processing.

Rather than relying on standard fermentation, the producers introduce Aspergillus oryzae—the exact same natural culture used for centuries in the creation of sake and miso—to the fermentation stage. This fascinating mould (often referred to as Ava or Koji in coffee processing) actively breaks down the complex starches within the coffee cherry into highly fermentable sugars, unlocking unparalleled sweetness and enhancing the natural fruit flavours.

Meticulous Post-Harvest Care

Achieving this level of clarity in an experimentally processed coffee requires flawless execution at the washing station.

• Strict Sorting: Upon arrival at the Etago washing station, the freshly picked cherries are meticulously sorted by hand and floated in water to ensure only the absolute highest quality, ripest fruits make it to the next stage.
• Anaerobic Fermentation: The sorted cherries are placed into sealed fermentation barrels. In this oxygen-free environment, the natural yeasts on the cherries are enhanced with the Koji culture.
• Controlled Agitation: The cherries undergo this strictly monitored anaerobic fermentation for exactly four days. To guarantee complete uniformity and create the perfect environment for the flavourful microbes to flourish, the barrels are persistently agitated.
• Slow Drying on Raised Beds: Following fermentation, the cherries are moved to traditional raised African beds where they are slowly sun-dried until they reach a moisture content of 13.5%.
• The Ageing Process: The coffee is then transferred into breathable bags and stored for a careful ageing period, allowing the beans to gently dry down to a stable 13%. This slightly higher moisture content in the skin acts as a protective barrier, preventing the beans from cracking during the vigorous hulling process and preserving their structural integrity.

The final result is a deeply sweet, meticulously clean, and unforgettable cup of coffee. It is the perfect pour to celebrate 15 years of Hot Numbers, and we cannot wait to share it with you