Kenya Coffee Bean Brewing Water Temperature and Coffee-to-Water Ratio Tutorial - Kenya AA Coffee Bean Flavor Characteristics

When it comes to African coffee beans, people often think of Ethiopian coffee and Kenyan coffee. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to Kenyan coffee. Premium Kenyan coffee is aromatic, rich, with fruity flavors and a perfect, complex profile. Kenyan coffee has a wonderful fruity character, with distinct blackberry and grapefruit notes, making it a favorite among many coffee connoisseurs.

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, bordering Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Coffee wasn't introduced to Kenya until the early 20th century, after having nearly circled the globe before returning to Africa. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Kenyan coffee, despite its late start, developed rapidly. Under British colonial rule, whether it was the establishment of cultivation systems or the determination of grading standards, everything propelled Kenyan coffee beans toward the specialty coffee market. Today, Kenyan specialty coffee is renowned worldwide, and FrontStreet Coffee has summarized the following reasons:

Key Factors in Kenyan Coffee Excellence

1. Establishment of Cultivation Systems. In 1883, the British introduced coffee to Kenya from Réunion Island. In 1922, Kenya established the Scott Agricultural Laboratory (Scott Labs, hence the names SL28 and SL34) to conduct coffee cultivation research. Within the first decade of its establishment, the laboratory selected SL28 and SL34 from 42 coffee varieties as most suitable for the region's cultivation, providing an excellent foundation for coffee industry development.

2. Government Support. In 1931, the Kenya Growers Cooperative Union and the Kenya National Coffee Committee were established to guide coffee industry development from both private and national levels. In 1937, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange was established, initiating Kenya's coffee auction system.

3. Determination of Grading System. Kenya grades coffee based on bean size and cupping results. According to coffee bean size, shape, and hardness, the grades from highest to lowest are AA or AA+, AB, PB, C, E, TT, T. For AA and AB grade green coffee beans, special grading based on cupping results is added (not officially recognized by Kenyan authorities, established by exporters), ranging from highest to lowest: TOP, PLUS (+), FAQ.

4. K72 Processing Method. The distinctive acidity of Kenyan specialty coffee is closely related to its excellent processing methods. In typical washed processing, ripe coffee cherries are selected, pulp removed, then soaked in tanks for fermentation to remove mucilage - a process rarely exceeding 36 hours. However, Kenyan fermentation extends to 72 hours. Afterwards, the beans are dried until moisture content reaches 12%. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Kenya's unique washed processing method better highlights the bright acidity and full, juicy mouthfeel of Kenyan coffee beans.

Kenyan Coffee Grading System

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

AA: Bean size (Screen Size) 17-18.

AB: Bean size (Screen Size) 15-16, accounts for the majority of production.

C: Bean size (Screen Size) smaller than AB.

TT: Lighter weight beans blown from AA and AB grade beans using air classifiers.

T: Lighter weight beans blown from C grade beans using air classifiers.

E Elephant Bean: Large mutant beans where two beans fuse together, also called elephant ear beans.

PB Peaberry: Classified by shape, unrelated to flavor or weight.

For AA and AB grade green coffee beans, special grading based on cupping results is added (not officially recognized by Kenyan authorities, established by exporters), ranging from highest to lowest: TOP, PLUS (+), FAQ. The flavor grade of Kenya Assalia on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list reaches TOP grade. However, as mentioned earlier, this is not an officially recognized grading system. Several Kenyan regional coffee beans sourced by FrontStreet Coffee don't all carry flavor grades, so don't get too caught up in this aspect. Generally, once beans reach AA and AB levels, they're already considered to have excellent flavor by default.

Kenyan Coffee Growing Regions

Kenya's coffee growing regions are mainly distributed in the central and western parts. The main coffee growing regions in the central area include Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Muranga, Embu, Machakos, Ruiri, and Thika. In the western region, there's Kisii and Bungoma, located on Mount Elgon.

FrontStreet Coffee periodically updates the coffee growing regions on its bean list, and Kenya is no exception. Last month, FrontStreet Coffee sourced a batch of Kenyan coffee beans from different growing regions. Through roasting, cupping, and pour-over brewing evaluation, we discovered that each region has its unique characteristics. The specialty coffee growing regions mainly come from the following areas: Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang'a.

Nyeri

The Nyeri region, located in central Kenya, is home to the extinct volcano Mount Kenya. The red soil in this area nurtures Kenya's finest coffee. Agriculture is extremely important in this region, with coffee being the main crop. Small farmer cooperatives are more common in the Nyeri region than large estates.

Altitude: 1,200 to 2,300 meters

Harvest Period: October to December (main season), June to August (secondary season)

Varieties: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

Muranga

Muranga region belongs to the Central Province and has approximately 100,000 coffee farmers. This inland region was one of the first settlement areas chosen by missionaries because the Portuguese prohibited them from living in coastal areas. This is another region benefiting from volcanic soil, with more small coffee farmers than estates.

Altitude: 1,350 to 1,950 meters

Harvest Period: October to December (main season), June to August (secondary season)

Varieties: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

Kirinyaga

The Kirinyaga region is situated on the slopes of Mount Kenya, adjacent to the Nyeri region, known worldwide for coffee with intense flavors, rich layers, and substantial mouthfeel. Together with Nyeri, it's recognized as one of Kenya's two finest growing regions. Producers in this area are mostly small coffee farmers who join cooperatives, which play a unifying role by providing washing stations where farmers bring their coffee cherries for processing.

Altitude: 1,300 to 1,900 meters

Harvest Period: October to December (main season), June to August (secondary season)

Varieties: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

Kenya Assalia Processing Station

Region: Thika, Kenya

Processing Method: Washed

Altitude: 1,550-1,750 meters

Varieties: SL28 & SL34

FrontStreet Coffee recommends pour-over brewing method.

Brewing Recipe

Coffee Amount: 15 grams

Ratio: 1:15 (coffee to water)

Water Temperature: 89-92°C

Time: 2 minutes

Grind: EK43S #10

Bloom with 30g of water for 30-35 seconds, then pour to 125g, taking about 1 minute. When the water level drops to about half, pour the remaining water. Complete pouring between 1:30-1:40. Remove the filter cone after 2 minutes of dripping.

Flavor Description: Distinct berry notes, dark cocoa, viscous texture, medium-high acidity, medium bitterness, clean, medium aftertaste.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

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