How to Drink Kenyan Coffee? What is the Best Kenyan Coffee and Kenyan Coffee Grade Classification

Coffee Quality Standards and Grading Systems

Unfortunately, there is no international standard for coffee quality. Instead, grading is based on several unique coffee characteristics established by each producing country. Sample coffee beans are taken from a bag and evaluated according to that country's standards, after which the entire bag is labeled with a grade—good or bad depending on the evaluation results. Most grading criteria focus on appearance (size, uniformity, color); the number of defective beans in each sample; and cup quality, which naturally includes flavor, bean shape, and whether the coffee beans have been properly and evenly roasted. Because the types of grades and terminology vary by country, and quality standards are only suitable for locally produced coffee, explaining the true quality of coffee can be challenging without familiarity with the origin's grading system. However, these countries share at least one commonality: all use standard mesh screens to determine coffee bean size, so buyers don't need to guess the size of beans provided by producers.

Coffee may have exotic regional names or be classified by processing method (washed or unwashed). It might have a descriptive name or simply consist of one or two letters arranged numerically. In specific countries where the coffee industry is nationalized, the grading system seems rather uninteresting. For example, in Kenya, a bag of coffee beans might be washed "AA" with a number representing one of ten brewing qualities; but this seemingly ordinary coffee is considered by most experts to be among the world's best coffees. In India, "Plantation A"—assumed to be "washed" since unwashed is called "cherry"—is one of the finest coffees, though not of the same grade as Kenya's. However, India has recently become a free market, so everyone is watching what grading system it will adopt.

Most Caribbean and Central American countries use terms representing altitude: Costa Rica's eastern region produces LGA (Low Grown Atlantic) and HGA (High Grown Atlantic); western slopes produce HB (Hard Bean), MHB (Medium Hard Bean), GHB (Good Hard Bean), and SHB (Strictly Hard Bean); the higher the hardness of coffee beans, the higher their growing altitude, and the more expensive they are. The best plantations in Costa Rica can label their coffee beans with cultivation altitude notes, while Costa Rica and Nicaragua also use names like Central Bueno Lavado (MG), Central Altura (higher grown), and Central Estrictamente Altura (SHG) to represent coffee quality grades and cultivation altitude.

Kenya Coffee Production

Kenya produces high-altitude washed Arabica beans that are among the world's finest coffees. Kenya is both a major coffee producer and a model for excellent coffee. All coffee is uniformly purchased by the Kenya Coffee Board for inspection and grading before being auctioned.

No country in the world values producing high-quality coffee as much as Kenya, making Kenya the best model among coffee-producing nations. Because all Kenyan coffee must be handed over to the government-established Kenya Coffee Board (CBK) for unified acquisition and cupping grading after harvest, every Tuesday in the capital, the officially established Nairobi Coffee Exchange conducts public auctions. This government-coordinated public system has encouraged over 570,000 small-scale coffee farmers throughout Kenya to obtain good prices for their quality products.

In fact, the Kenyan government's efforts include much more support. The government provides numerous small coffee farmers with technical knowledge for growing excellent coffee, guides nearly 300 agricultural marketing cooperatives in better green bean processing, and the Kenya Coffee Board (CBK) invests effort and educational guidance in coffee industry production, quality research, sales, and even financial assistance. This has created the unparalleled charm of Kenyan coffee quality and flavor, deeply loved by coffee buyers from around the world.

Kenya Coffee Grading

The cultivation history of Kenyan coffee dates back to the late nineteenth century, when coffee varieties were introduced from the northern neighboring country of Ethiopia. After their own variety improvements, the common varieties now include Bourbon, Kents (SL34, SL28), Typica, and Riuri 11. Currently, about 90% of coffee cultivation varieties are SL34 and SL28. The new variety Batian, released in 2007, has not yet been widely cultivated. Most Kenyan coffee is uncertified organic cultivation, as improved cultivation techniques are used, with minimal use of chemical pesticides or herbicides.

Kenya Coffee Varieties

The cultivation history of Kenyan coffee dates back to the late nineteenth century, when coffee varieties were introduced from the northern neighboring country of Ethiopia. After their own variety improvements, the common varieties now include Bourbon, Kents (SL34, SL28), Typica, and Riuri 11. Currently, about 90% of coffee cultivation varieties are SL34 and SL28. The new variety Batian, released in 2007, has not yet been widely cultivated. Most Kenyan coffee is uncertified organic cultivation, as improved cultivation techniques are used, with minimal use of chemical pesticides or herbicides.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenyan coffees are mostly AA grade. We generally use light to medium roasting to express Kenya's flavor characteristics. This maintains a certain body while preserving Kenya's berry-like acidity!

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

V60/90-92°C/1:15/Time: 2 minutes 15 seconds

Flavor: Rich cherry tomato flavor with persistent sugarcane aftertaste

Important Notice :

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