Kenya Kungiru Hand-Pour Brewing Data & How to Drink Kenya Kungiru Coffee

Brewing Instructions for Kungiru

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To hand-brew Kungiru: use 15g of coffee ground to a medium-fine size (Fujiyama ghost-tooth burr grinder setting 3.5) in a V60 dripper, with water at 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second pre-infusion, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops halfway, then pour slowly until the total reaches 225g. Discard the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, and the extraction takes 2:00.

Kenya's Coffee Growing Regions

Coffee trees in Kenya are mostly cultivated at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,000 meters. Growing regions include Ruiri, Thika, Kirinyaga, Mt. Kenya West, Nyeri, Kiambu and Muranga, primarily on the foothills of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare range.

Many growing regions in Kenya work to preserve native forest ecosystems, protecting natural gene banks, supporting the propagation of wild coffee varieties and nurturing diverse coffee trees.

The Legacy of SL28 and SL34 Varieties

In 1930, Kenya's unique varieties SL28 and SL34, cultivated and named by Scott Laboratories, were born in this favorable environment.

According to botanists at the SL laboratory, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. SL28 carries mixed lineage from French Mission, Mocha and Yemeni Typica. The original goal in developing SL28 was to produce large quantities of coffee beans combining high quality with resistance to pests and disease.

Although SL28's later yields were not as high as expected, its copper-colored leaves and broad bean shape produce wonderful sweetness, balance and complex, varied flavors, along with distinctive citrus and plum characteristics. SL34 has similar flavors to SL28, but beyond its complex, varied acidity and wonderful sweet finish, it has a heavier, richer and cleaner mouthfeel than SL28. SL34 carries French Mission, Bourbon and more Typica lineage. Its bean appearance is similar to SL28, but it adapts better to sudden heavy rain. These two important varieties shaped our understanding of the unique Kenyan style: strong, rich fruit acidity, a full body and beautiful balance.

Flavor Profile

Intense lemon and plum aromas in both the dry and wet fragrance. Light-roasted and cupped, it reveals surprising floral and lemon aromas, along with grapefruit green tea and the sweet, juicy quality of citrus juice. With a slightly darker roast it immediately develops flavors of honey and raspberry-black plum, and the aftertaste brings the pleasant sweet-tart taste of matcha green tea.

Origin and Processing

This Kenya comes from the Kungiru Processing Station of the Kabare Cooperative in the Kirinyaga region, using the Kenyan double-washed method. It grows on the eastern slopes of the Kenya Mountains in Manyatta-Embu County at 1,550-1,750 meters. The varieties are Kenya's classic SL28 and SL34. Combined with the large day-night temperature differences and Kenya's red phosphate soil, sweet and sour notes become the main flavor profile of this coffee.

The fresh cherries for this batch of Kungiru AA are harvested and processed by 250 farmers from the Kungiru Processing Station under the Kabare Farmers Cooperative. After being pulped, fermented and washed with water from the nearby Kungiru River, the coffee is placed on African drying beds. Each harvest season, the farmers process nearly 300 tons of fresh cherries. Once processing is complete, the coffee enters the weekly auction held every Wednesday in Nairobi, and after being selected by licensed exporters it is shipped to consumer markets worldwide.

A Unique Kenyan Experience

In every Kenya coffee we had tried before, we particularly loved chasing those angular, powerful fruit acids. But this Kenya coffee felt gentle, like facing the sea with a soft breeze blowing.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee

Address: 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, FrontStreet Coffee

Contact: 020-38364473

Shelf Life: 90 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk coffee beans

Coffee Bean State: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Kenya

Coffee Type: Other

Roast Degree: Light roast

Detailed Specifications

Country: Kenya

Grade: AA

Region: Kirinyaga Region

Altitude: 1,550-1,750 meters

Soil: Red phosphate soil

Processing Method: Kenyan double-washed method

Varieties: SL 28, SL 34

Processing Station: Kungiru Processing Station

Producer: Kabare Cooperative

Flavor Notes: Grapefruit green tea, citrus, raspberry-black plum

Located in East Africa, Kenya is one of the major coffee-producing countries. Roughly six million people nationwide work in the coffee industry, mostly as smallholders and cooperatives.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this Kenya's bright, double-washed character appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato is a must-try Kenyan specialty washed bean. It comes from the Thika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters, and uses the classic local SL28 and SL34 varieties with full, rounded beans. Processing follows Kenya's signature 72-hour double-washed fermentation, which draws out the fruit while keeping the cup clean and pure, and FrontStreet roasts it light to preserve the lively acidity and layered fruit. The dry fragrance already shows concentrated sun-dried cherry tomato and florals; in the cup there is clear cherry tomato and dark plum, a bright, solid acidity as full as fresh-pressed juice, striking mid-palate sweetness threaded with the fresh fruit of snow pear and black plum, and a clean, long finish of brown sugar sweetness and a faint green-tea note. Sweet and tart are beautifully balanced, and the coffee is instantly recognizable.

Light-roasted washed Kenyan coffees open up best with a medium-fine grind and water near 91-93°C; pour in stages and keep the bed level, so the juicy acidity stays vivid without the cup turning thin.