Kenya Nyeri | Mtaro Estate PB Peaberry SL28, SL34 Flavor Profile

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Kenya Nyeri | Mtaro Estate Processing Plant PB Peaberry SL28, SL34 Flavor Profile

Kenya is a model country for premium coffee beans. Most coffee beans are uniformly graded by the Kenya Coffee Board and then sold at auctions. The public auction system dates back to 1934. Kenya has about 50 licensed agents who send sample beans to their respective clients for cupping. Clients can bid on their favorite coffees through agents at the auction. This approach seems to encourage middle agents to erode farmers' income. Therefore, in 2006, Kenya reopened 32 independent sales agents who can directly negotiate purchases with foreign coffee buyers without going through auctions. Better quality coffees can fetch better prices through cupping, encouraging more cooperatives and farms to join, allowing direct contact with farmers to obtain firsthand information.

The suffixes PLUS, AA, AB, PB added to Kenya beans often confuse consumers! AA PLUS is the best, followed by AA, AB, while PB means peaberry. These only represent the uniformity of bean size and do not represent quality. Most Kenya beans come from processing plants and cooperatives. Premium quality coffee will be labeled with the name of the processing plant or cooperative. If only AA is added after Kenya, it represents general Kenya beans with poorer quality and taste. Kenya's coffee grading system is adopted by many African countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, etc. There are two harvests per year, with April-June being the secondary harvest season and October-December being the main harvest season.

Kenya's Mtaro Estate processing plant is located 40 kilometers east of Kenya's capital Nairobi, at an altitude of 1,600 meters, belonging to the Nyeri region of western Kenya. This small-scale processing plant only selects fully ripe red cherries hand-picked by farmers. The cherries are delivered to the processing plant immediately on the day of harvest, where the skin and pulp are removed, then fermented for 16-48 hours before washing away the surface mucilage. This is a crucial process for maintaining the rich, robust blackberry acidity and is very important. The price of coffee beans is determined here, so more and more Kenya beans choose to undergo this important process in small processing plants because freshness ensures good quality.

Farm Details

Farm: Mtaro Estate

Name: Mtaro Estate Peaberry

Grade: PB (Peaberry)

Country: Kenya

Region: Nyeri

Altitude: 1,500-1,700 meters

Farm Size: Small-scale coffee farmers with small planting areas

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: SL 28, SL 34

Processing System: Full Washed, dried on African raised beds

Top Jury Descriptions: Cupping roast level (Cinnamon) starting 60 seconds after first crack

Aroma/Flavor: Plum, osmanthus fragrance, rose, jasmine, lavender, caramel, honey, chocolate

Acidity: Kumquat acidity, pomelo, lemon, high acidity

Complexity and Others: Vibrant and robust, good brightness, moderate emulsification, full of sweet vanilla, obvious kumquat aftertaste

Overall Evaluation: Mtaro Estate peaberry was harvested during Kenya's bountiful 2012 harvest season. It possesses highly precious acidity. When hot water is poured over medium to dark roasted coffee, the emitted floral fragrance and chocolate sweetness are very attractive!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g water, pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly to 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using three-stage brewing to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during pouring can extend the extraction time.