A Brief History of Kenyan Coffee: Origins and How to Appreciate Kenyan Coffee Flavors

For more specialty coffee knowledge, follow our WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee

Newcomers to the world of coffee have likely heard of varieties like Yirgacheffe coffee and Mandheling coffee. Once they've identified their preference for specific flavors, they begin to diverge in their choices. One group prefers rich, full-bodied coffee with absolutely no acidity, making Mandheling, Blue Mountain, and Brazil their go-to choices. Another group can't get enough of acidity—the brighter and more refreshing, the better. For these coffee connoisseurs, varieties like Kenya coffee and Panama Geisha coffee are the objects of their pursuit. When many coffee connoisseurs describe the distinctive characteristics and mouthfeel of Kenya coffee, they often mention notes of small tomato acidity, bright acidity, and a berry sensation that envelops the palate. Hearing such descriptions, I'm sure you reading this can't help but swallow.

Kenya Coffee Cultivation History

Those familiar with East African countries won't find it difficult to notice that geographically, Kenya borders Ethiopia, which is widely recognized as the birthplace of coffee. However, Kenya's coffee cultivation history can only be traced back to the late 19th century.

When FrontStreet Coffee was reviewing literature on specialty coffee, particularly the book "World Coffee Atlas," it discovered that Kenya's coffee industry development began later than its neighbor Ethiopia. The earliest documentation of coffee imports in Kenya only dates back to 1893, when French missionaries introduced coffee trees from Réunion Island to Kenyan soil, while Kenya's first coffee bean harvest occurred in 1896.

At that time, Kenya was under British colonial rule and was classified as part of the British "East African Protectorate." Moreover, since coffee was one of the important cash crops, local people could not privately cultivate it. Therefore, Kenya's initial coffee was mostly grown in large plantations under British colonial rule, and the harvested coffee beans were shipped to Britain for sales.

By 1933, the Kenya Coffee Board was established, and coffee sales affairs were transferred back to Kenya. In 1934, an auction system was established, and not until the following year (1935) was Kenya's first-ever coffee auction held in Nairobi. Kenya's coffee auction system has been in use ever since.

In the early 1950s, Kenyan authorities passed an agricultural bill that allowed local families to increase farmland ownership and, in addition to subsistence farming, permitted the cultivation of cash crops to increase income.

Nearly all Kenya coffee must be sold through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. During the coffee harvest season, coffee auctions are held every Tuesday at the exchange. Traders with trading qualifications receive green bean samples in advance, select their preferred beans through cupping, and then bid at the subsequent auction—highest bidder wins. This trading method is considered the most transparent and efficient approach, incentivizing coffee farmers to pursue quality to some extent.

Kenya Coffee Growing Regions

Among Kenya's coffee growing regions, Kirinyaga and Nyeri are particularly renowned. FrontStreet Coffee's research reveals that Kenya's coffee growing regions consist primarily of six main areas:

Kiambu

The Kiambu region is located in central Kenya and is characterized by large coffee plantations. The number of coffee plantations in this region has gradually decreased with urbanization. Under this large region, there are many famous origins such as Thika. Coffee from the Kiambu region features bright acidity and a full body. On FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu, there is a bean from Thika, Kiambu. This Kenya AA coffee from FrontStreet Coffee offers flavors of dark plum and cherry tomatoes upon entry, with strong and full acidity, a berry sensation that envelops the palate, prominent brown sugar sweetness in the middle, noticeable juiciness, and a classic berry aroma in the aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Asalia
Region: Thika, Kenya
Processing Station: Asali Honey Processing Station
Altitude: 1550m-1750m
Varieties: SL28, SL34
Processing Method: K72 Washed Processing

Kirinyaga

The Kirinyaga region boasts fertile volcanic soil. The wet processing mills here can produce extremely high-quality coffee, renowned worldwide for its intense flavors, rich layers, and substantial mouthfeel. It is recognized as one of Kenya's two best growing regions.

Nyeri

The Nyeri region borders the Kirinyaga region to the west and is home to the extinct Mount Kenya, featuring extremely fertile volcanic red soil that can produce Kenya's finest coffee. Coffee is the most important crop in Nyeri. Within this region, cooperatives formed by small-scale farmers are more common and numerous than large plantations. Coffee from this region features bright blackberry acidity and full, rich body, complemented by citrus and even floral notes, captivating many coffee connoisseurs and making Kenyan coffee internationally famous.

Embu

The Embu region is near Mount Kenya, where about 70% of the local population engages in small-scale farming. The most popular cash crops in the Embu region are tea and coffee. Since most coffee in this region comes from small-scale farmers, production is relatively limited.

Mount Kenya West

The Mount Kenya West region includes Kisii and the Bungoma area of Mount Elgon. Among these, Kisii is located in southwestern Kenya, where most coffee comes from small producers organized into common cooperatives, with limited production. Roasted nuts and soft fruit acidity attract coffee enthusiasts who don't prefer bright acidity.

Murang'a

Murang'a region belongs to the Central Province and has approximately 100,000 coffee farmers. Since Portugal once prohibited missionaries from living in coastal areas, Murang'a was one of the first settlement areas chosen by missionaries. At the same time, the Murang'a region also benefits from volcanic soil, and the coffee produced here features bright acidity and full, juicy mouthfeel.

Kenya Coffee Grading System

The high-altitude Arabica washed beans produced in Kenya are among the world's top-tier coffees. Kenya is a major coffee-producing country and a model of excellent coffee production. All coffee is uniformly purchased by the Kenya Coffee Board for inspection and grading before being auctioned.

Coffee enthusiasts often encounter the term "Kenya AA" in the market, and this designation represents a grade of Kenya green coffee beans. In addition to Kenya AA, FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu also features Kenya PB. What do AA and PB represent respectively?

Kenya green coffee bean grading is based on coffee bean size and quality as indicators, with clear regulations on bean size, which is considered to some extent directly related to quality. Under these regulations, Kenya AA grade coffee beans are typically regarded as top-tier beans.

Grade Specifications:
E (Elephant Bean): Flat beans above 19 screen (two beans per fruit)
AA: 17/18 screen
AB: 16/17 screen
PB (Peaberry): One bean per fruit, oval-shaped
C: Below 14 screen
TT: Large screen size but low density
T: Small particles (below 14 screen) with low density
MH/ML: Low-quality natural process beans

How to Brew Kenya Coffee

When FrontStreet Coffee's baristas brew Kenya coffee, considering that the beans are medium-light roasted, they use water at 93°C for brewing to extract the bright acidity. To avoid over-extraction due to high temperatures, they choose the Hario V60 dripper. The spiral rib design of the V60 dripper accelerates water flow during brewing, better highlighting the lifted acidity, clean mouthfeel, and excellent aroma of the final cup.

Brewing Parameters:
Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 93°C
Coffee Amount: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: EK43s #10 (80% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve)

First, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then continue pouring to 125g for the second stage. Wait until the liquid level drops to just about exposing the coffee bed, then pour to 225g for the third stage. Remove the dripper once all water has completely dripped into the serving pot. Total extraction time is approximately 2'00".

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473