[FrontStreet Coffee Bean Hunting] Natural Process Micro-Batch Kenya · Endebess Estate Special Report

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Special Report: Sun-dried Micro-batch Kenya · Endebess Estate

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Washed Kenyan coffee has bright, lively fruit acidity with a refreshing mouthfeel, while sun-dried Kenyan coffee offers prominent fruit flavors, high sweetness, and a rich body. Today, let me introduce this sun-dried micro-batch bean from the Kenya Endebess Estate in the eastern rift valley~~

Kenyan Endebess Estate

Kenya · Endebess Estate

Region: Northern Rift Valley

Altitude: 1750-1950m

Processing Method: Sun-dried

Grade: AA

Varieties: SL28, SL34

Region Introduction

The Great Rift Valley, located in eastern Africa, is a geographical wonder formed 35 million years ago by the movement of the African tectonic plate. Stretching across East Africa, this Great Rift Valley is the world's largest fracture zone and belongs to a divergent boundary.

The eastern rift valley section in Kenya is particularly deep within the entire East African Great Rift Valley region, with the deepest part located north of Nairobi, Kenya. This section of the rift valley has no outlet to the sea, resulting in shallower lakes with higher mineral and salt content. For example, Lake Magadi is composed almost entirely of sodium carbonate. Lake Elmenteita, Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Nakuru have quite high alkalinity.

Estate Introduction

Endebess Estate is located in the northern part of Kenya's eastern rift valley, near the Kitale township in Trans-Nzoia County. It has approximately 758 acres of total land, of which 248 acres are planted with coffee. The Natural processed coffee is thoroughly washed using fresh river water from the Koitobos River, then dried on raised beds. Depending on weather conditions, drying typically takes 21 to 28 days. The beans are rotated at least four times daily.

The rift valley contains Cherang'any Hills and a chain of volcanoes, some of which remain active. The Cherang'any Hills are one of Kenya's five major forests and catchment areas, spanning three counties: Trans-Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet, and West Pokot. The Endebess Estate farm is located at the foot of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on the border between Uganda and Kenya.

As early as the 1940s, Endebess Estate was processing its own coffee as well as that from neighboring small-scale producers. It was once owned and managed by Mr. EW D'Ollier and was sold to Gatatha Farmers Co Ltd in 1976, and again sold to its current owner and manager, Kaitet Tea Plantations, in 2011.

Kaitet Tea Plantations emphasizes employee welfare and social responsibility. The farm has funded 15 housing renovation projects, sponsored two high school students, and hopes that once the farm becomes more profitable, their social responsibility programs will expand. In the short term, Endebess Estate is improving its infrastructure certification status.

Varieties

SL-28 & SL-34

The story of these two varieties begins in the 1930s, when the Kenyan government commissioned Scott Laboratories to select varieties suitable for the country. After sequential screening and numbering, SL-28 and SL-34 were finally selected, both originating from Bourbon. SL-34 can grow at slightly lower altitudes.

SL28 has mixed lineage from French Mission, Mocha, and Yemen Typica. The original goal of cultivating SL28 was to mass-produce coffee beans that combined high quality with resistance to pests and diseases.

Although SL28's yield later proved not as high as expected, its copper-colored leaves and broad-shaped beans offer wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex, varied flavors, with prominent citrus and plum characteristics.

SL34 has similar flavors to SL28, but with a heavier and richer body than SL28, as well as a cleaner finish, in addition to complex, varied acidity and wonderful sweet aftertaste. SL34 has French Mission, Bourbon, and more Typica lineage. The bean appearance is similar to SL28 but can better adapt to sudden heavy rainfall.

As it turned out, the former received quite high evaluations, typically possessing blackcurrant-like acidity and complex flavor expressions; while the latter, though slightly inferior, also has impressive fruit flavors. These two varieties now account for 90% of Kenya's production and have become generally recognized representatives of Kenyan coffee.

Kenyan Coffee Grading

Kenyan coffee beans are strictly graded, mainly based on size, shape, and hardness, from highest to lowest: AA or AA+, AB, PB, C, E, TT, T. This can be used as reference when selecting, with coffee flavor also taken into consideration.

Coffee Size Grading:

AA Plus (AA+): AA grade with particularly excellent cup quality (flavor, mouthfeel)

AA: Screen Size 17-18

AB: Screen Size 15-16, accounting for the majority of production

C: Smaller than AB screen size

TT: Lighter beans filtered from AA and AB grade beans using air classifiers

T: Lighter beans filtered from C grade beans using air classifiers

E: Elephant Bean - large mutant beans where two beans merge, also called elephant ear beans

UG: Those that do not meet the above standards

PB: Peaberry, classified by shape, unrelated to flavor weight

Processing Method

This micro-batch bean uses the sun-dried processing method. The natural sun-drying method, which relies entirely on natural climate, gives this bean a rich body and sweetness.

The sun-drying method is the oldest and most original processing method for coffee beans. Compared to the washed method, coffee processed this way is also called "natural coffee" or "sun-dried coffee." The harvested coffee fruits are directly exposed to sunlight for about two to four weeks.

1. Harvest mature coffee fruits

2. Preliminary removal of impurities and defective beans

3. Screen floating beans: Pour coffee fruits into a water tank. Mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom, while immature or damaged fruits will float on the surface.

4. Sun-drying

Remove the mature coffee fruits that sank to the bottom of the tank and spread them on the drying ground for sun-drying, reducing moisture content from 70% to about 10-12%. Turn several times daily to ensure even drying, and cover at night to avoid moisture absorption.

5. Remove outer shell: After sun-drying for about two to four weeks, the outer layer of the coffee seeds becomes dry and hard. At this point, use a hulling machine to remove the outer shell to complete the process.

Roasting Curve Analysis

Roasting machine: Yangjia 800N (300g batch size)

Preheat the roaster to 180°C, set heat to 130, and open the damper to 3. The turning point is at 1'42". When the temperature reaches 140°C, open the damper to 4. When the temperature reaches 146°C, the bean surface turns yellow and the grassy smell completely disappears. When the temperature reaches 166°C, reduce heat to 100, keeping the damper unchanged.

At 7'25", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread smell clearly transforms into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. When first crack begins at 8'20", reduce heat to 70, keeping the damper unchanged. Develop for 1'45" after first crack, then drop at 194°C.

Agtron bean color value 73.4 (upper image), Agtron ground color value 81.7 (lower image), Roast Delta value is 8.3.

Cupping & Flavor

Flavor: Cherry tomato, plum, lemon, caramel, cream, black tea

Brewing Parameters

Recommended brewing method: Pour-over

Filter: V60

Water temperature: 90-92°C

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: Medium-fine, similar to fine sugar consistency (Grind BG-5R (China standard No. 20 sieve pass rate 60%))

Brewing technique: Segmented extraction. Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour in a small circular motion to 125g before segmenting. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 227g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time is 1'54".

Flavor: Aroma of caramel, with cherry tomato and plum flavors upon entry. As the temperature slightly cools, lemon acidity and creamy smoothness emerge. The aftertaste has a black tea sensation with a noticeable sweet finish.

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