Nav: Home > Coffee >

What Does Kenyan Kungyu Taste Like and How to Brew Kenyan Coffee

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista exchange - follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Hand-brewed Kungyu. 15g beans, medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal grinder 3.5 setting), V60 dripper, 91-93°C water temperature, first pour 30g water, 27-second bloom, pour to 105g then pause, wait until the water level drops halfway before continuing, slow pour until reaching 225g total, avoid the final tail section

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Pour-Over Brewing Guide

Kongyu pour-over: 15g of coffee, ground to medium-fine (Fuji ghost tooth burr grinder at 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour with 30g of water for 27 seconds bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Flavor Profile

Intense dry and wet aromas of lemon and plum. When lightly roasted and cupped, it reveals stunning floral notes and lemon aromas, alongside the sweet and tart juiciness of grapefruit green tea and citrus juice. With a slightly darker roast, it immediately displays flavors of honey and raspberry-black plum. The aftertaste presents the pleasant sweet-tart flavor of green tea.

Origin and Processing

This Kenya comes from the Kongyu Processing Station in the Kirinyaga region, Kabare Farmers' Cooperative Society, using the Kenyan double-washed processing method. It grows on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya in the Manyatta-Embu County at elevations of 1550-1750 meters. The varieties are the classic Kenyan SL28 and SL34. Combined with the large day-night temperature differences and Kenya's red phosphate soil, this creates a sweet-tart flavor profile as the primary characteristic of this Kenyan coffee.

The fresh coffee cherries for this batch of Kongyu AA were picked and processed by 250 farmers from the Kongyu Processing Station under the Kabare Farmers' Cooperative Society. After being pulped, fermented, and washed with water from the nearby Kongyu River, the coffee is placed on African drying beds for drying. Each harvesting season, farmers process nearly 300 tons of fresh coffee cherries. After processing, the coffee will participate in the weekly coffee auction held every Wednesday in Nairobi. Once selected by licensed exporters, it will be shipped to consumer markets worldwide.

Tasting Experience

With previous Kenyan coffees, we particularly pursued those with sharp, powerful fruity acids. However, this particular Kenyan coffee made me feel gentleness, like facing the sea with a gentle breeze blowing.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: 10 Bao'an Qian Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, FrontStreet Coffee
Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Kenya
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Degree: Light roast

Coffee Details

Country: Kenya
Grade: AA
Region: Kirinyaga region
Altitude: 1550-1750 meters
Soil: Red phosphate soil
Processing Method: Kenyan double-washed processing method
Varieties: SL 28, SL 34
Processing Station: Kongyu Processing Station
Producer: Kabare Farmers' Cooperative Society
Flavor Notes: Grapefruit green tea, citrus, raspberry-black plum

Kenya Coffee Background

Kenya, located in East Africa, is one of the major coffee-producing countries, with approximately six million people nationwide engaged in the coffee industry, mostly in the form of smallholders and cooperatives.

Kenyan coffee trees are mostly grown at altitudes of 1400-2000 meters. Growing regions include Ruiri, Thika, Kirinyaga, Mt. Kenya West, Nyeri, Kiambu, and Muranga, primarily on the foothills of Mount Kenya and Aberdare.

Many regions in Kenya strive to preserve the native forest ecosystem, protect natural gene banks, support the propagation of wild coffee varieties, and nurture diverse coffee trees.

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

According to SL laboratory botanists, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. Among them, SL28 has mixed heritage from French Mission, Mocha, and Yemeni Typica. The original goal in cultivating SL28 was to mass-produce coffee beans that combined high quality with resistance to diseases and pests.

Although SL28's later yields were not as high as expected, its copper-colored leaves and broad bean shape offer wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex, variable flavors, along with prominent citrus and black plum characteristics. SL34 has similar flavors to SL28, but besides complex, variable acidity and wonderful sweet finish, it has a heavier, richer, and cleaner mouthfeel than SL28. SL34 has French Mission, Bourbon, and more Typica heritage. The bean appearance is similar to SL28, but it's more adaptable to sudden heavy rains. It is these two important varieties that lead us to understand the unique Kenyan style: intense, rich fruity acids, rich mouthfeel, and beautiful balance.