Kenya Coffee Bean Flavor Profiles | Best Kenya Coffee | Kenya Coffee Grading System

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Kenya's Coffee Auction System

Most coffee beans in Kenya are uniformly graded and inspected by the Kenya Coffee Board before being sold at auctions. The public auction system can be traced back to 1934. The auction method adopts an agent system - Kenya has 50 licensed agents who send sample beans to their respective clients for cupping. Clients can have their agents bid on their favorite coffees at the auction.

However, this approach seemed to encourage middle agents to erode farmers' income. Therefore, in 2006, Kenya opened up 32 independent sales agents who could directly deal with foreign coffee buyers without going through auctions. However, these must meet the Kenya Coffee Board's standards for quality, storage, bank guarantees, etc., before they can be sold. Both systems operate in parallel, and after years of development, it has become the most transparent auction distribution system. Better quality coffees can obtain better prices through cupping, encouraging more cooperatives and farms to join. However, I believe the latter allows direct contact with farmers to obtain first-hand information.

What is Coffee Bean Grading?

When we look at single-origin coffees, we often see long names with one or two abbreviations, such as PB, AA, G1, etc. What these represent is actually the grade given to the coffee beans by the producing country.

Universal Coffee Grading System

There is no universal coffee bean grading system on this planet. The purpose of grading is to provide a general benchmark for trading. It must be noted that on this planet, there is no universal coffee bean grading system (underlined). The names and basis of grading are actually determined by each producing country themselves. There are several points we must pay special attention to when discussing grading systems:

• The grading standards are different for each country
• Some countries have similar grading system names, but the actual definitions are quite different
• Difficult to make cross-country comparisons because the systems are different and each country has its own characteristics
• Grading is just a reference and is not the only or most critical factor affecting flavor

Kenya Coffee Grades

E - Refers to elephant beans, but not to the elephant bean variety. Generally, one fruit contains two seeds, facing each other, so there's one flat side, called flat beans, female beans, or twin beans. E refers to two seeds that fused together during growth, becoming extra-large beans. They are rare and a natural mutation.

AA - The screen holes are approximately 7.20 millimeters, and this grade commands a better price.

AB - The filter hole size for A is 6.80 millimeters, while B is 6.20 millimeters. These two are mixed together for sale, hence called AB. Most coffee beans from a single harvest concentrate in this grade.

PB - Called Peaberry in English, mostly referred to as small round beans in Taiwan, or male beans, single瓣 beans, as opposed to ordinary flat beans. Very rare because only one seed develops completely inside the fruit, resulting in small, round beans. There's no consensus on the impact on flavor, but some people particularly like them, so PB beans are selected and sold separately.

C - Hole size between 4.8–5.6 millimeters, considered small particle beans.

TT - Usually defective beans fall to this grade. A pity.

T - At this grade, usually only fragments, defective beans, and small beans below 4.8 millimeters remain.

MH/ML - Overripe beans that fell on the ground and other very poor quality beans are not exported.

Commonly seen AA+, AA++, AA Top, AB+ are traders' own classifications and not part of Kenya's official system. Different traders have different definitions, so they're just for reference.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya AA Selection

FrontStreet Coffee also has Kenya AA beans, such as Kenya Asali and Karogoto, both of which are Kenya AA grade. The recommended pour-over parameters are 90-92°C, with a powder-to-water ratio of 1:15, and a brewing time of two minutes and twenty seconds. The entry is bright cherry tomato acidity with honey-like sweetness.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store service. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473