Coffee of the Month - Scholar's Circle

DILIGENTIA (Diligence)

Origin: Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Cupping Notes:

• Farm: Kariru Farm (family-operated since the 1960s)
• Cooperative: Baragwi Farmers Co-operative Society Limited
• Process: Washed, sun-dried on raised beds
• Roast: Medium/Light
• Flavor Profile: Chocolatum Obscurum, Pomelo, Uva Rubra et Viridis (Dark Chocolate, Grapefruit, Red and Green Grapes)
• Altitude: 1600-1900 MASL
• Varieties: SL28, Ruiru 11, SL 34
• Grade: AA

The Romans had a concept they called cultus agrorum - the cultivation of fields. Not just farming, but the patient, meticulous care that transforms raw earth into something extraordinary. They understood that great things don't happen by accident; they happen when people refuse to cut corners.

The family at Kariru Farm gets it. For over sixty years, they've been doing what the big commercial farmers eschew: hand-sorting every cherry before processing. Removing the underripe. Removing the overripe. Keeping only what meets their standard. It's the kind of attention to detail that would make a Roman engineer weep with joy - or at least nod approvingly while checking their sundial.

Here's what that obsessive care tastes like: dark chocolate richness meeting bright grapefruit acidity, with sweet grape notes that shift between red and green depending on the brew. The volcanic soils of Mount Kenya's slopes - deep, well-drained, organically rich - give these beans a complexity that rewards the kind of careful attention the growers put into every step. Even their water recycling system speaks to this philosophy: excellence doesn't mean exploitation.

This is coffee for anyone who's ever been told they're overthinking something. For those who believe the details matter, even when no one's watching. For people who understand that "good enough" is the enemy of actually good.

Cura facit victoriam - care makes victory. Or in this case, care makes your morning decidedly less mediocre.