Is Kenyan AA Coffee Expensive? An Introduction to Kenyan Coffee Processing Methods

Kenyan Coffee Beans

Kenyan coffee beans have a large following in the specialty world, and Kenyan AA beans in particular enjoy exceptional popularity.

Known as the "Connoisseurs' Cup," Kenyan coffee is famous for its rich, abundant aroma, bright and vibrant acidity, full and elegant body, and wine-like flavors. Beans from different regions carry subtle variations because of local microclimates.

Kenyan Coffee Bean Varieties

Bourbon was first brought to Kenya for cultivation. In the 1950s, the agricultural research institution Scott Laboratory, through relentless effort, selected and bred two excellent hybrid varieties, SL-28 and SL-34, overturning the long-standing prejudice that artificially selected varieties could not match natural ones. SL-28 and SL-34 helped Kenyan coffee form its unique character and build its reputation.

According to botanists at the SL Laboratory, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. SL28 has mixed lineage from French Mission, Mocha, and Yemeni Typica. Its original purpose was to combine high quality with resistance to disease and pests.

Although SL28's later yields were not as high as hoped, its copper-colored leaves and broad, bean-shaped fruit offer wonderful sweetness, balance and complex, shifting flavors, along with prominent citrus and black plum notes. SL34 has flavors similar to SL28, but beyond complex, variable acidity and a lovely sweet finish, it has a heavier, richer and cleaner body. SL34 carries lineage from French Mission, Bourbon, and more Typica. Its bean appearance is similar to SL28, but it adapts better to sudden heavy rainfall. These two important varieties define the Kenyan style: intense, rich fruit acidity, a full body, and beautiful balance.

Kenyan Coffee Growing Regions

Kenya's coffee regions are concentrated in the highlands around Mount Kenya. The tropical climate and acidic red volcanic soil provide a naturally ideal environment. The seven most famous regions are Nyeri, Thika, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Ruiru, Murang'a, and the western side of Mount Kenya, with Nyeri and Ruiru among the major production areas in the central region.

Kenyan Coffee Processing

Large farms usually have their own processing facilities. Many smallholders hand-pick ripe cherries themselves; picking is labor-intensive, requiring the whole family during harvest and sometimes hired workers. Freshly picked cherries must be taken promptly to cooperative-owned factories for pulping, by ox cart, pickup truck, or lorry. After pulping, the parchment coffee is briefly stored at the cooperative's plant before being sent to privately owned factories for hulling.

Kenyan Coffee Grades

Kenya is a renowned origin that grades beans by size. There are typically nine grades, based on bean shape and size: PB (Peaberry, about 10% of total production), and E (Elephant), AA, AB, C, T, TT, MH, ML. The best grade is peaberry PB, followed by AA++, AA+, AA, AB, and so on in descending order.

The typical Kenyan classification is as follows:

1) Common Classification:

Hand-picked cherries are manually sorted to remove defects such as unripe and overripe fruit, then pulped, fermented for about 36 hours, and sun-dried on metal mesh racks. After the factory removes the parchment, they become charming Kenyan green beans with a blue-green appearance.

These beautiful green beans are graded by size, shape, and weight:

E: Kenya E, Elephant bean, 18 screen or above (including peaberries)

AA: Kenya AA, 17-18 screen

AB: Kenya AB, 15-16 screen, a mix of Grade A and Grade B

TT: Light beans separated from AA and AB by air classifier

PB: Kenya PB, 15 screen and above, peaberries

C: 12-14 screen, and light beans from PB separated by air classifier

T: Below 12 screen, with more defective beans, broken beans and light beans

HE: Above grades become HE (Hulled Ears)

2) Ungraded:

Green beans not processed through official standard grading are UG (ungraded)

E, AA, AB, PB → UG1

C, TT, T, HE → UG2

(Note: 17 screen (6.8mm) and above is Grade A; 16 screen (6.3mm) and above is Grade B. 18 screen = 18/64 inch, and 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters.)

Taste Profile

Kenyan coffee has an irresistible aroma. The best lots show intense fruit acidity reminiscent of ripe blackcurrant, citrus, or cherry. At the same time, Kenyan coffee has strong berry aromas like blueberry, often with rosehip, passion fruit and floral scents. It tastes of blackberry and grapefruit, making it a favorite among many connoisseurs.

How to Enjoy Kenyan Coffee

The coffee has excellent medium clarity with a crisp, refreshing mouthfeel. Its flavor is fresh and especially suited to iced coffee in summer. When tasting it, pairing it with acidic fruits like grapefruit gives the best experience.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Kenya's lively fruit acidity is what draws you in, FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato is a natural pick. A specialty washed bean with a core of bright cherry tomato, smoked plum acidity and full juice, it comes from Kenya's Sika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters, and uses the classic local SL28 and SL34 varieties, giving plump, rounded beans. It goes through Kenya's signature 72-hour double washed fermentation to draw out the fruit while keeping the cup clean and pure, and FrontStreet roasts it light to preserve that lively acidity and layered fruitiness: dried cherry tomato and florals on the dry aroma, clear cherry tomato and smoked plum on the palate, bright and solid acidity like fresh juice, prominent mid-palate sweetness edged with snow pear and black plum, and a clean, lingering finish of brown sugar sweetness and faint green tea.

For a softer, more approachable introduction to bright East African coffee, FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gedingding is a great first step. It shows vivid citrus, berry and floral notes with a green-tea-like sweetness, and — unlike the sharp "sour coffee" many people imagine — its acidity is gentle and bright, more like the natural sweet-and-sour of fruit. FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui takes the opposite tack: extremely prominent tropical fruit, with strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit and even lychee on the nose, obvious sweetness, very little bitterness, and a smooth, juicy body that has made it one of the most successful specialty coffees of recent years.