Which Kenya Coffee Bean Brands Taste Best? How Many Types of Single-Origin Coffee Exist?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Kenya Coffee and Single Origin Coffee Variety Knowledge Sharing

Kenya, as one of the world's top five premium coffee-producing regions, has coffee beans that are highly favored in the industry due to their unique geographical environment and distinctive fruit flavors. The most professional baristas will tell you that Kenyan coffee is among the finest coffees. The taste of Kenyan coffee is as intriguing as its natural landscape, possessing an irresistible aroma. Due to Kenya's high altitude and lower mountain temperatures, the maturation period of coffee beans is extended, which facilitates the accumulation of complex fruit aromas. Its vibrant acidity, rich aromatic fruit flavors, such as blackcurrant and grapefruit, constitute the bold and mature characteristics of Kenyan coffee.

Knowledge Bonus

In the nineteenth century, during the First Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was defeated. In 1858 (the 8th year of the Xianfeng reign), the Qing court signed the "Treaty of Tianjin" with Russia, the United States, Britain, and France respectively. Anping Port in southern Taiwan and Tamsui Port in northern Taiwan were designated as opened ports. The British merchant "Tait & Co." (Note 1) came to Taiwan for business due to the opening of Taiwanese ports. Tait & Co. was affiliated with the English East India Company, which played an important role as a coffee trader in the history of British coffee development in the seventeenth century.

Kenyan coffee is classified according to bean size and shape into AA, AB, C, E, PB, TT, T, ML, and MH grades. These grades primarily distinguish the shape and size of the beans, but do not necessarily represent quality. Many people believe that larger beans contain more aromatic oils that produce coffee aroma, and for this reason, larger beans are more expensive in the market.

Grade Classifications

AA Grade: Bean size (Screen Size) between 17-18 mesh (7.20mm sieve screen), with limited production. This is the most favored grade in China's mid-to-high-end market.

AB Grade: Bean size (Screen Size) between 15-16 mesh (6.8mm-6.2mm sieve screen), accounting for the majority of production and being the most common raw bean grade.

Kenya's coffee-producing regions are most famous for seven major areas: Thika, Kirinyaga, Mt. Kenya West, Nyeri, Kiambu, Ruiri, and Muranga. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Kenya Asali comes from the Kiambu region, featuring bright acidity, berry aroma, and distinct cherry tomato flavors.

There are over 500 species of coffee trees and 6,000 varieties, most of which are tropical trees and shrubs. There are four main types of coffee trees in the world, but only two have real commercial value and are cultivated on a large scale. The coffee beans produced by these two are also superior to those from other coffee trees.

The first is Arabica beans. World-famous coffees such as Blue Mountain coffee and Mocha coffee are almost exclusively of the Arabica variety. The other is Robusta. The Robusta coffee tree originates from the Congo in Africa. Different varieties of coffee beans have different flavors, but even coffee trees of the same variety produce coffee beans with unique flavors due to the effects of different soils and climates.

Knowledge Bonus

The Kenyan varieties were developed in 1930 when the local Scott Laboratories in Kenya sought to improve the coffee industry. They worked with local Kenyan varieties, hoping to cultivate high-yield, disease-resistant, weather-adaptable varieties that could suit local soil characteristics. By crossing traditional local Kenyan varieties such as Bourbon, Mocha, and Typica, they created two future stars: SL28 and SL34. In terms of flavor, they possess intense fruit notes that surpass traditional Bourbon, including fruit acids, citrus, and preserved plum characteristics.

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