Characteristics of Kenyan French Missionary Coffee - Flavor and Taste Profile

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Coffee Origins in Kenya

Coffee is native to Ethiopia. Around 1850, French missionaries introduced coffee to Kenya via the colony of Bourbon Island (which is the origin of the Bourbon variety), where it took root and flourished locally. Most varieties cultivated in Kenya are SL improved varieties. Native coffee varieties are quite rare.

Kenya's Historical Background

Kenya is one of the cradles of humanity, with fossilized human skull fragments dating back approximately 2.5 million years having been discovered within its borders. From 1890 until independence in 1963, Kenya was under British colonial rule for approximately seventy years.

The Legendary Origins of Coffee

The origins of coffee are difficult to trace. One of many legends suggests that coffee originated in the KAFFA plateau region of southwestern Ethiopia. It is said that over a thousand years ago, a shepherd discovered that after sheep ate a certain plant, they became very excited and active, thus discovering coffee. Another theory suggests that a wildfire destroyed a coffee forest, and the aroma of roasted coffee attracted the attention of surrounding residents. People initially chewed the plant's fruit to refresh themselves, and later roasted and ground it, mixing it with flour to make bread as food for warriors to boost their courage in battle. However, these legendary stories lack historical documentation and only appear in later travel biographies, making it impossible to verify the true origins of coffee.

Coffee's Journey Through the Arab World

It wasn't until around the 11th century that people began boiling coffee with water as a beverage. In the 13th century, the Ethiopian army invaded Yemen, bringing coffee to the Arab world. Because Islamic doctrine prohibits followers from drinking alcohol, some religious figures believed this stimulating beverage violated religious doctrine and once banned and closed coffee shops. However, the Egyptian Sultan believed coffee did not violate religious doctrine, thus lifting the ban, and coffee beverages quickly became popular throughout the Arab region. The word "Coffee" originates from the Arabic "Qahwa," meaning "plant beverage," and later spread to Turkey, becoming the source of this word in European languages. Coffee cultivation and preparation methods were also continuously improved and perfected by Arabs.

Coffee's Global Expansion

However, before the 15th century, coffee was long monopolized by the Arab world and circulated only among Islamic countries; it was mainly used for medical and religious purposes. Islamic doctors and monks recognized coffee's effects of refreshing, awakening the mind, strengthening the stomach, enhancing the body, and stopping bleeding. Beginning in the early 15th century, literature began documenting coffee usage methods, and during this period, it integrated into religious ceremonies while also appearing among the people as a daily beverage. Because the Islamic world strictly prohibits alcohol, coffee became a very important social beverage at that time. It wasn't until the 16th and 17th centuries that coffee was introduced to Europe through the trade of Venetian merchants and the maritime hegemony of the Dutch. Soon, this black beverage, full of oriental mystery and rich, charming aroma, was eagerly sought by the noble and gentry classes. Coffee's value rose with the tide, even earning the title "black gold." During the subsequent Age of Discovery, coffee spread via sea routes, and the entire world was incorporated into coffee's production and consumption map.

Kenya's Coffee Cultivation History

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, bordering Ethiopia, the "source of coffee." Although the soil is fertile, the country's first coffee cultivation was introduced from Brazil in 1893 - Bourbon (also known as French Mission, in commemoration of the French missionaries who introduced it). Like a "turn left, turn right" story, coffee didn't move south into the interior but crossed the Red Sea to the north. After hundreds of years of spread, settling and mutating in various places around the world, it finally returned to its homeland - the Great Rift Valley.

Colonial Era and Laboratory Contributions

As a British colony, it was natural that the benefits from coffee exports were skewed toward the colonial power. Until 1954, Kenyans owned only 5,000 acres of cultivated land, with the majority controlled by the British and sent for auction in London. Although the colony seemed exploited, without the British Scott Laboratories, Kenyan coffee would not have achieved today's success. Because its representative varieties SL-28 and SL-34 were two of the forty coffee varieties cultivated by that laboratory at the time. Current popular Kenyan varieties also include the disease-resistant but slightly inferior-tasting Ruiri 11, as well as the drought-resistant Batian, K7, and Kent.

The Mau Mau Uprising and Coffee Farm Structure

The Mau Mau Uprising from 1956 to 1960 returned control of most cultivated land to native residents. Coffee farms are mostly small-scale operations producing several hundred kilograms annually. They decide whether to sell their fruit to nearby processing factories (Coffee Factories) based on transportation distance and purchase prices. For example, the famous Karagoto coffee is actually a processing factory located around the town of Karatina. After collecting coffee fruits 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 factories, forms a cooperative society (Tekangu Farmers Cooperative Society, FCS). Most of Kenya's famous producing areas are concentrated in the central region, such as Nyeri, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, and the western mountainous areas near Uganda (Nakuru, Bungoma, Kitale, etc.).

Kenyan French Mission Old Variety

Coffee is native to Ethiopia. Around 1850, French missionaries introduced coffee to Kenya via the colony of Bourbon Island (which is the origin of the Bourbon variety), where it took root and flourished locally. Most varieties cultivated in Kenya are SL improved varieties. Native coffee varieties are quite rare.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenyan French Mission Bourbon

FrontStreet Coffee's [Hania] comes from Kenya's French Mission Bourbon. Traditional natural processing combined with traditional coffee varieties creates a truly delightful surprise.

Flavor Profile

The French Mission Bourbon variety processed using natural methods has a rich and dense texture. In addition to a thick chocolate aftertaste, it also possesses distinct natural fruit flavors, creating a rich and mellow coffee experience.

Harris Family's Legacy

The Harris family has been cultivating coffee in the Thika region for over 100 years, possessing deep knowledge of the unique red volcanic soil in this area. Combined with suitable coffee growing temperatures and rainfall, these excellent growing conditions create the unique flavor of Chania Estate's French Mission coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's French Mission Bourbon Brewing Parameters:

V60/90°C water temperature/1:15 ratio/2 minutes time

Flavor Notes:

Sweetness with pleasant citrus aromas. Stability with a touch of lightness, like tropical fruit notes of grapefruit. Balanced with a hint of wildness.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473