How is Kenyan Coffee Graded? What Are the Characteristics of Kenyan Coffee?

Introduction to Kenyan Coffee

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Coffee produced in Kenya has a very distinctive characteristic: high acidity with rich berry aromas. Kenyan coffee is famous for its acidity and enjoys an excellent reputation in terms of quality and industry practices. The finest local coffees feature multiple and complex flavors, with rich fruit notes revealing berry tones; deep and substantial mouthfeel, full-bodied aroma, and some varieties even possess sweetness and wine-like fragrances.

Kenya's Coffee Production Excellence

Kenya is a model country for producing excellent coffee beans. Kenya's high-altitude Arabica washed beans are among the world's finest coffee varieties. Most coffee beans are uniformly graded and inspected by the Kenya Coffee Board before being sold at auctions. The Kenya Coffee Board is strict about coffee research, development, and quality management. Through an excellent auction system, coffee bean prices are increased to help poor coffee farmers, and through agricultural education, farmers' cultivation techniques are continuously updated and improved to further produce superior coffee. Coffee bean bags marked with [AA] indicate top-grade quality. Kenyan coffee bean quality and price are proportional and very stable. High-quality Kenyan coffee with blackberry fruit aromas is rare in quantity. These coffee beans originate from excellent coffee estates established in Kenya by foreign companies or excellent coffee estates acquired by Kenyan domestic companies, making them targets for acquisition by many coffee merchants.

Characteristics and Growing Conditions

Located in East Africa below the equator, Kenya cultivates high-quality Arabica coffee varieties. The coffee beans are fleshy, thick, and round. Grades are divided into seven levels according to coffee bean size, while flavors are classified into six grade specifications from top to bottom. In tasting recommendations, "Kenya AA" receives high praise and acclaim, featuring a slightly acidic and rich fragrance, very popular among Europeans, especially in Britain, where Kenyan coffee has surpassed Costa Rican coffee to become one of the most popular coffees.

Coffee entered Kenya in the 19th century when Ethiopian coffee beverages were imported to Kenya via South Yemen. However, it wasn't until the early 20th century that Bourbon coffee trees were introduced by the St. Austin Mission.

Most Kenyan coffee grows at altitudes between 1,500-2,100 meters, with two harvests per year. To ensure only ripe berries are picked, people must patrol and check the forests approximately 7 times back and forth. Kenyan coffee is grown by small farmers who, after harvesting, first send fresh coffee beans to cooperative washing stations. The washing stations then send washed and dried coffee in "parchment coffee" state (coffee beans covered with endocarp) to cooperatives ("parchment coffee" is the final state before coffee beans are hulled). All coffee is collected together, and growers demand average prices based on actual quality. This trading method generally works well and is fair to both growers and consumers.

Kenya's Coffee Industry System

The Kenyan government takes the coffee industry extremely seriously, where cutting down or destroying coffee trees is illegal. Buyers of Kenyan coffee are world-class premium coffee purchasers, and no other country can continuously cultivate, produce, and sell coffee like Kenya. All coffee beans are first purchased by the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK), where they are inspected, graded, and then sold at weekly auctions without further grading during auction. The Coffee Board of Kenya only acts as an agent, collecting coffee samples and distributing them to buyers to help them determine prices and quality. Nairobi auctions are held for private exporters, and the Coffee Board of Kenya pays growers below-market prices. The best coffee grade is Peaberry (PB), followed by AA++, AA+, AA, AB, etc., in sequence. Premium coffee is bright and glossy, delicious, and slightly wine-like.

Organizing auctions also serves to meet the needs of blenders. These auctions typically involve smaller quantities (3-6 tons per lot), with samples marked with grower identification for buyer tasting. After auction, exporters package according to different flavors, qualities, and quantities required by blenders. This provides great flexibility for blenders. Quality-conscious Germans and Nordics are long-term buyers of Kenyan coffee.

Global Impact and Growth

On an international scale, the growth of Kenyan coffee is evident. From 1969-1970, exports were 800,000 bags, and by 1985-1986, export volume increased to 2 million bags. Current production is stable at 1.6 million bags, with an average yield of about 650 kilograms per hectare.

Before the recent surge in coffee prices, the average price of Kenyan coffee had been rising. Prices in 1993-1994 were 50% higher than 12 months earlier. Price increases were mainly the result of increased demand.

Some buyers, especially Japanese merchants, have expressed dissatisfaction with Kenya's coffee industry system. Some merchants have indicated that the country's coffee quality has declined and pointed out that purchasing directly from farmers might be a way to improve quality. However, regardless of the circumstances, Kenya's detailed regulations and comprehensive procedures serve as a model worth learning from for all coffee-producing countries.

Cultural Influence and Varieties

Kenyan coffee gained further fame through the Hollywood film "Out of Africa." In the film, the heroine Karen played by Meryl Streep is a writer and coffee plantation owner. Many probably still remember the touching beautiful scenery and magnificent sunsets in the film, but even more unforgettable is Karen's dream of owning a coffee plantation in Africa.

Kenya's coffee varieties include SL28, SL34, and French Mission Bourbon! And these varieties can all be found at FrontStreet Coffee!

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests Kenyan coffee brewing parameters:

V60/91-92°C/1:15/Time two minutes

Flavor Profile

Rich cherry tomato aroma, sugarcane sweetness

Knowing where coffee beans come from allows you to roughly predict their flavor, so most packaging indicates the origin region with prominent uppercase titles. From Kenya to Colombia, conditions in different coffee-producing regions, including climate, popular varieties, processing methods, etc., vary greatly, and these conditions are the key factors that determine the final flavor of coffee.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473