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Kenya Coffee: FrontStreet Coffee's Unforgettable Passion

Kenya's coffee holds an irreplaceable place in FrontStreet Coffee's heart. As one of Africa's premier specialty coffee-producing countries, Kenya is renowned for its exceptionally bright and uplifting acidity. Anyone who has tried Kenyan coffee has been conquered by its blackberry-like acidity, with a wine-like mouthfeel that is both rich and layered, especially with its refreshing blackcurrant-like aftertaste. As one of the representatives of specialty coffee, Kenya's acidity is polarizing—many are addicted to its plum wine-like acidity, while others reject it as too acidic. However, this doesn't change FrontStreet Coffee's recommendation to guests, because this country's coffee journey is too legendary to be ignored!

The Cherished Nyeri Region

The Nyeri region has always been a beloved coffee-producing area for FrontStreet Coffee. The Ndima-ini Factory is part of the Gakuyu Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS). Ndima-ini AA (Kenya) from Maine Portland Tandem Coffee represents a typical Kenyan fruit-flavored coffee.

Gikanda Ndimaini Farm: Cooperative Excellence

Kenya's Gikanda Ndimaini Farm is operated by several small farmers who, together with Kangocho and Gichathaini, form the Gikanda Cooperative. Located in the Nyeri region at an average altitude of approximately 1,700-1,900 meters, the coffee is processed at the exclusive Kangocho processing plant. Small farmers grow traditional unimproved varieties SL28 and SL34, harvesting fully ripe cherries by hand for wet processing on the same day. Before shipment, the coffee is wrapped in parchment and rubbed to remove the silver skin.

The Ndima-ini factory is part of the Gakuyu Cooperative, which separated from the large Mathera Cooperative in 1996 to become independent. The Gakuyu Cooperative has only two factories, Ndima-ini and Kirigu, employing 1,800 people. The Kirigu factory is named after the Kirigu River near the factory, which supplies water for processing coffee cherries. Over the past 20 years, approximately 850 small farm owners have delivered ripe coffee cherries to the Ndima-ini factory for processing by factory manager John Kamau.

Varieties (SL28, SL34)

As early as the 1930s, the Kenyan government commissioned the newly established Scott Labs to select suitable varieties for the country. After 42 initial varieties were numbered and screened one by one, SL-28 and SL-34 were finally selected. The former originated from Bourbon, while SL-34 originated from Typica—these are not varieties from the same series.

The original goal of breeding SL28 was to mass-produce coffee beans that were both high-quality and resistant to pests and diseases. In some regions, the breeding goal was mainly high yield and disease resistance, without considering disease resistance. Thanks to its Bourbon genetics, although SL28's yield was not as expected later, its copper-colored leaves and broad bean-shaped seeds have wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex flavors, as well as significant citrus and plum characteristics.

SL34 has similar flavors to SL28. Besides its complex and varied acidity and wonderful sweet finish, its mouthfeel is smoother and cleaner than SL28. SL34 has Typica lineage. Its bean appearance is similar to SL28, and it adapts better to rainforest growth.

It was later proven that the former received high praise, usually possessing blackcurrant-like acidity and complex flavor displays; although the latter was slightly inferior, it also had impressive fruit flavors. These two varieties now account for 90% of Kenya's production, becoming generally recognized representatives of Kenyan coffee varieties. South America is also actively introducing SL28 as a cultivation variety.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping

Kenya Thimaini Girl AB

Region/Processing Station: Ndima-Ini/Nyeri

Grade: AB Top Microbatch Karatina

Variety: SL28 & SL34

Processing Method: 80-hour washed fermentation

Flavor: Blackberry, Red Currant, Honey

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90°C
Coffee Amount: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15/1:16
Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (BG 7T: 58% pass-through rate with China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method

Segmented extraction: Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom. When small water stream circular infusion reaches 124g, segment. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue infusion to 227g and stop. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). Extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Profile

The entrance reveals berries, nuts, plums, and cream, with woody notes and a light tomato flavor in the finish.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473