Kenyan Coffee Bean Flavor Profile & V60 Dripper Brewing Parameters for Kenya AA Coffee Beans

For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

Do you know the history and flavor profile of Kenyan coffee?

The African region has always been one of the world's finest coffee-producing areas, renowned globally for its captivating acidity and aroma. Kenya is certainly no exception. Located in eastern Africa, Kenya borders Ethiopia, the "source of coffee." Although the soil is fertile, the country's first coffee cultivation was introduced in 1893 with Bourbon from Brazil (also known as French Mission, in commemoration of the French missionaries who brought it). Like a story of "turning left or right," coffee didn't move south inland but crossed the Red Sea northward. After centuries of spread, settling and mutating in various parts of the world, it finally returned to its homeland—the Great Rift Valley.

As a British colony, it was natural that the profits from coffee exports favored the colonial power. Until 1954, Kenyans owned only 5,000 acres of cultivated land, with most of the remainder controlled by the British and sent to London for auction. Although the colony seemed exploited, without the British Scott Laboratories, Kenyan coffee would not have achieved its current success. This is because its representative varieties, SL-28 and SL-34, were two of the 40 coffee varieties cultivated by that laboratory. Today's popular Kenyan varieties also include the disease-resistant but slightly less flavorful Ruiri 11, drought-resistant Batian, K7, and Kent varieties.

The Mau Mau Uprising, which occurred from 1956 to 1960, returned control of most cultivated land to the indigenous people. Most coffee farms are small-scale operations producing several hundred kilograms annually. They decide whether to sell their cherries to nearby processing factories (Coffee Factories) based on transportation distance and purchase prices. For example, the famous Karagoto coffee is actually a processing plant located around the town of Karatina. After collecting coffee cherries from nearby farmers, they process and export them. It also provides farmers with technical support for cultivation. Karagoto itself, together with Tegu and Ngunguru processing plants, forms a cooperative (Tekangu Farmers Cooperative Society, FCS). Kenya's famous producing regions are mostly concentrated in the central area, such as Nyeri, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, and western mountainous areas near Uganda (Nakuru, Bungoma, Kitale, etc.).

Coffee Auctions Ensuring Farmer Benefits

Every Tuesday during the harvest months, the Coffee Exchange in the capital Nairobi holds auctions. The country has approximately 50 government-recognized exporters who classify and grade coffee batches, send samples to potential foreign buyers for cupping and evaluation, and later accept bids for competition. Foreign companies can also commission authorized marketing agents for direct trade transactions. All steps are clear and transparent, regulated by the Kenyan Coffee Board of Kenya, ensuring that after deducting costs, the funds go entirely to farmers.

Kenya's coffee grading system uses AA-Plus (AA+), AA, and AB to distinguish beans. This grading method refers to the uniformity of coffee bean size rather than coffee quality. Premium Kenyan coffee beans are generally grown at altitudes between 4,200-6,800 feet (approximately 1,300-2,100 meters).

The industry typically describes typical Kenyan coffee as "blackcurrant juice": rich mouthfeel, wine-like aroma, and bright fruit acidity. These characteristics cannot be found in other producing regions. Unfortunately, the coffee industry accounts for only 10% of Kenya's total economic income. As land demand increases, coffee farmers may have less incentive to produce coffee and abandon cultivation. This is likely a common problem of urbanization.

Flavor and Taste Profile of Kenyan Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee's editorial team compared several Kenyan coffees from different sub-regions and found that, benefiting from the characteristics of red phosphorus soil and SL varieties, most Kenyan coffee beans have more obvious cherry-berry flavors similar to cherry tomatoes when lightly to medium-roasted, with bright fruit acidity. The only drawback is that Kenyan beans tend to more easily develop woody flavors.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473