Kenya Coffee Bean Growing Regions Cupping Introduction

Kenya Coffee Bean Growing Regions Cupping Introduction

As a neighbor of Ethiopia, the homeland of coffee, Kenya's first cultivated coffee plant traces back to 1893. Coffee was later cultivated on a large scale by the British in plateau regions at elevations of 1,400 to 2,100 meters, where volcanic ash soil rich in organic matter abounds. Kenya's maximum temperatures range from 22-26°C year-round, with minimums of 10-14°C. Combined with suitable rainfall, these conditions provide everything high-quality Arabica coffee needs.

Kenya's unique natural geography, together with the support of its coffee farmers and government, lifted Kenyan coffee into the ranks of the world's great coffee powers within a single century. The rich fruit aromas, strong red-wine notes, and abundant, lingering aftertaste of Kenyan coffee are especially beloved by coffee connoisseurs.

FrontStreet Coffee · 2017 ToH Best Kenya Green Bean Data

First Place

Cupping Score: 85.30
Grade: AA
Variety: SL28/34
Estate Name: Fram Farm
Region: Kiambu

Second Place

Cupping Score: 85.15
Grade: AA
Variety: SL28
Estate Name: Nguguini
Altitude: 1700-1800 meters
Region: Kirinyaga

Third Place

Cupping Score: 85.10
Grade: PB
Variety: SL34
Estate Name: Mugaga (Kenya Mugagai Processing Station)
Altitude: 1600 meters
Region: Nyeri

Fourth Place

Cupping Score: 85.00
Grade: PB
Variety: Arabica
Estate Name: Kayu
Altitude: 1650 meters
Region: Murang'a

Fifth Place

Cupping Score: 85.00
Grade: AB
Variety: Arabica
Estate Name: Kaimbu
Region: Kiambu

Seventh Place

Cupping Score: 85.00
Grade: PB
Variety: SL
Estate Name: Barichu Gatomboya
Region: Nyeri

Eighth Place

Cupping Score: 84.90
Grade: AA
Variety: SL28/34
Estate Name: Tano Ndogo
Region: Kiambu

Tenth Place

Cupping Score: 84.85
Grade: PB
Variety: SL
Estate Name: Rungeto Karimikui
Region: Kirinyaga

Eleventh Place

Cupping Score: 84.85
Grade: PB
Variety: SL
Estate Name: Thirikwa Gakuyuni
Region: Kirinyaga

Thirteenth Place

Cupping Score: 84.80
Grade: AA
Variety: Batian
Estate Name: DeKUT Farm
Region: Nyeri

FrontStreet Coffee · 2016 Brazil COE Natural Champion Same Batch

Green Bean Basic Information

• Farm: Fazenda Guariroba
• City: Santo Antônio Do Amparo
• Region: Sul De Minas
• Altitude: 1100 meters
• Producer: Homero Aguiar
• Variety: Yellow Catucai
• Processing Method: Natural
• COE Ranking: 2016 Natural Category First Place
• Cupping Score: 90.50

Flavor Description

• Aroma/Flavor: Candy, grape juice, milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar, starfruit, cinnamon, sweet wine, citrus, blood orange, plum, white wine
• Acidity: Citric acid, fruit acid, complex bright acidity, tartaric acid
• Other: Juicy, rich mouthfeel, smooth, creamy, long aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee · 2016 Guatemala COE Fourth Place Geisha Honey Process

Green Bean Basic Information

• Farm: El Centro
• City: Monjas
• Region: Jalapa
• Altitude: Above 1450 meters
• Humidity: 50-60%
• Country: Guatemala
• Variety: Geisha
• Processing Method: Honey Process
• COE Ranking: 2016 Fourth Place
• Cupping Score: 90.76

Flavor Description

• Aroma/Flavor: Floral notes, fruit notes, green apple, jasmine, orange, peach, yellow peach, honey, mango, melon, citrus, raspberry
• Acidity: Citrus, malic acid
• Other: Persistent aftertaste, smooth and balanced mouthfeel, clean, tea-like, honey sweetness

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Kenya and Ethiopia sit side by side on the specialty coffee map, and if the cupping data above sparks your interest, Ethiopia itself is a treasure worth exploring. The world's best-known specialty coffee origin and the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia holds countless native varieties, making it sacred ground for coffee lovers who faithfully chase its flavors.

A great entry point is FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe: clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity — the very character baristas mean when they talk about "Yirgacheffe flavor." Yirgacheffe is a small town in southern Ethiopia where spring-like temperatures, drifting mist, and cool humidity let thousands of coffee varieties thrive, producing a light, elegant, tea-like cup that drinks like a refreshing, clean lemon tea. For a step up in traceability, try FrontStreet's Guodingding cooperative lot. Like most Ethiopian coffee, it comes from a garden-farming model: smallholders deliver their cherries to village-based washing stations and sell under the team's name. Guodingding, in the Worka area at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge, was once part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU union, but in 2012 its roughly 300 member farmers established it as an independent "single origin." Pulping before drying makes its inherent aromas clearer and more transparent — citrus, lemon, and elegant white florals in a bright, delicate cup.

If you prefer naturals, FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and Sidamo Hambella Huakui are essential tasting. The Red Cherry plan dries whole ripe cherries in the sun for two weeks — after culling damaged or moldy fruit — letting the sugars and essence of the pulp soak into the bean until moisture drops to 12%, then stripping away the hardened skin, mucilage, and pods, with density and color checks plus hand-sorting at every stage. The result: peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon in an immaculate, hauntingly fruity cup. FrontStreet Huakui comes from the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, on a 200-hectare farm using traditional natural processing: ripe cherries sun-dried 21 days on raised beds, turned constantly for even drying, with moldy or defective beans hand-removed every three to five days. A medium-light roast reveals a faint fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango — a dense, complex cup with honeyed sweetness, a cocoa note touched with spice, thick body, and a long finish. For something truly distinctive, FrontStreet's Sidamo Natural Hamasho comes from a washing station that is a perennial winner in Ethiopian green bean competitions, built on JARC 74-series disease-resistant varieties: the 74158 lot smells of perfumed lemon, strawberry, and starfruit, and tastes of strawberry, starfruit, and green grape sweetness with delicate florals unfurling behind them.