Understanding the Differences Between Rwandan and Kenyan Coffee: Unique Characteristics of African Coffee Beans

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

[Rwanda Coffee Beans]

Rwanda has always been blessed with excellent coffee growing conditions: high altitude, volcanic soil, abundant sunshine, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Since many coffee trees are planted on mountains between 1700 and 2000 meters altitude, Rwanda is also known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills." Rwandan coffee offers a world-class experience—more balanced than Kenyan coffee yet clearly comparable to Central American coffee. Generally, Rwandan coffee carries the fresh sweetness of fruits, the delicate fragrance of flowers, and a black tea-like aftertaste. Coffee production models often vary by producing country, but Rwandan coffee is entirely produced by small farmers rather than large-scale enterprises. Most African coffee cultivation follows this smallholder model. Compared to Brazilian farms where even small ones reach twenty hectares, Rwanda's 0.1-0.2 hectares are truly modest.

Here, farmers first pick coffee beans by hand from coffee trees, then send them to processing stations where barefoot, singing farmers crush them all together. These coffees are both sweet, with clear lemon flavors, and subtly taste of berries and chocolate.

For these developing countries, when specialty coffee gains attention and demand increases, coffee naturally becomes one of the country's primary development directions, seeking continuous improvement and recognition in the international market.

After coffee beans are separated from the fruit, farmers use rakes and water to sort the beans one by one, followed by sun-drying. Since coffee beans are sensitive to air humidity, whenever a breeze suddenly blows, farmers quickly cover them with tarps.

Rwandan Coffee Flavors

Rwandan coffee flavors vary considerably: cherry, grape, lime, chocolate, cantaloupe, orange, honey, candy, apricot, plum, and more.

Actually, these fruity flavors serve as certification of excellent growing conditions. According to data provided by the National Agricultural Export Development Board, Rwanda currently has approximately 400,000 small production units, with farmland generally situated at 1,700-2,000 meters altitude. High altitude creates multi-layered coffee flavors. The country's coffee production mostly comes from the western and southern regions, but in fact, there are five producing areas. In the southwest, the Virunga volcanic region dominates, where the famous Silverback Mountain is also located. On the country's western side lies the Kivu region beside Lake Kivu. In the central part of the country, there's the Kizi Rift region. Moving to the southern end of the map, there's the lower-altitude Akagera at approximately 1,300 meters. Finally, in the east, there's the Muhazi region.

Regional characteristics certainly differ, but generally, all Rwandan areas have high altitude and nitrogen-rich volcanic soil. To produce high-quality coffee, these conditions are naturally indispensable.

Coffee Processing

Previously, each farm processed coffee differently, with coffee beans from individual farms being collected and mixed with neighboring ones.

After the genocide, the country began opening up to accept foreign aid, and revitalizing the coffee industry became a national priority. Consequently, projects like PEARL and SPREAD emerged, providing farmers with standardized training and establishing washing stations to match traditional East African coffee processing methods. Burundi is one country that uses this processing method and excels at it.

Another noteworthy aspect is Africa's unique "Fully washed" processing method, which involves soaking coffee beans twice—a practice uncommon in Latin America.

The most commendable aspect of Rwandan coffee is that after coffee cherries are harvested, farmers first select unripe green cherries. Then, mature cherries are separated in washing tanks, with only red cherries sent to the depulping machine. Depending on weather conditions at the time, coffee cherries with remaining pulp ferment for 24-48 hours. The purpose of fermentation is to avoid damaging the coffee flavor. The clean parchment coffee beans are then sent for drying. All coffee is dried on raised beds for 15-22 days, with moisture content reaching approximately 11%. When weather becomes excessively hot, farmers must cover them with cloth; otherwise, the drying process will complete prematurely.

The best Rwandan beans should have a white surface, and if the drying process is completed timely, the beans should not have cracks. This preserves more organic compounds, resulting in better flavor and extended shelf life.

High-altitude Rwandan coffee beans processed using the fully washed method are generally sweet and rich-bodied.

[Kenya]

Whenever discussing African coffee production, Kenya has always maintained an excellent reputation in terms of quality. This might be related to its geographical location,毕竟 Ethiopia, the representative African coffee country, is located next to Kenya. Since coffee beans traveled from Ethiopia through mountain ranges to Kenya, Kenya has already become one of the industry leaders. Coffee beans produced in high mountain terrain generally have smoother body, more outstanding flavor, and pleasant acidity. The aroma also subtly reveals the delicate fragrance of flowers, with aftertastes featuring both lemon-berry and wine-like notes.

Kenyan Coffee Grades

Kenyan coffee has a unique domestic grading system that measures bean size, weight, and shape, generally divided into AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T. Bean size is an important grading criterion because larger beans indicate more aroma and richer flavor—both qualities valued by coffee enthusiasts. If two beans have identical conditions except for size difference, the larger bean will always be of higher quality.

If readers are looking for a rich African-produced coffee, Kenyan production will likely exceed your expectations.

Kenyan Coffee Quality

Kenyan Arabica grows in volcanic soil at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,000 meters. This high altitude creates outstanding coffee flavor with higher acidity. Rich in flavor, it has wine-like aftertaste with citrus and berry undertones.

On the other hand, fierce competition among farmers is also one of the factors contributing to high quality. In Kenya's capital—Nairobi—weekly coffee auctions are held. Besides the lively atmosphere, farmers with high-quality coffee beans naturally earn substantial profits, further driving progress in the coffee industry. Even international coffee buyers specifically come to Nairobi to purchase, then distribute to coffee sales points worldwide.

Production

Since introducing coffee beans in 1893, Kenya's coffee production history now spans over a century. Coffee-producing areas occupy a total of 160,000 hectares, one-third of the total cultivated area.

Currently, domestic coffee production fluctuates mainly due to climatic and socioeconomic factors. Annual production is approximately one million bags, with two harvesting periods: at the beginning of the rainy season in March-April and in October.

Kenyan AA

Kenyan AA grows in environments reaching 6,600 square feet, making it one of the world's finest quality coffees. Growing at high altitudes means slower growth rates, allowing coffee beans to absorb more nutrients and giving flavors more time to develop, resulting in richness. As Kenya's highest-grade coffee beans, all AA coffee is made from the most impeccable Arabica beans. Processed using the washed method, after the coffee cherry skin is removed, farmers soak the beans in water tanks. During this process, the beans' own enzymes naturally decompose residual substances. When sun-dried, farmers can easily remove the skin. After grinding, bean size is measured and then grade allocation follows.

Excellent beans also require good roasting to match. To bring out the characteristics of Kenyan AA beans is to highlight their rich, intense citrus and berry flavors. The reason for drinking Kenyan AA beans is simply being attracted by their flavor, with almost no bitterness. The best AA beans are often medium-roasted; higher roasting would cause their unique characteristics to be lost. Kenyan AA beans are the largest beans produced domestically, and brewed coffee always combines fruit and floral notes. Finally, like all single-origin coffees, regardless of roast level, coffee beans always need fresh handling—goods that have been sitting in distribution warehouses for months should be avoided when purchasing.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests roasting [Rwanda] coffee to city or dark city roast to obtain a richer body and chocolate-nut flavors; while [Kenya] should be roasted to light-medium to bring out its rich berry, citrus, and fruity 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