Coffee Bean Varieties and Main Origins: Kenya Coffee Recommendation with Refreshing Sweet and Sour Fruit Flavors

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Kenyan Coffee

Professional coffee knowledge exchange, more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Although Kenya's coffee industry started relatively late, Kenyan coffee is appreciated by coffee enthusiasts for its typical, irresistible fruity aroma. Kenya's geographical location borders Ethiopia, and although coffee cultivation began later than Ethiopia, the government's emphasis on and support for the coffee industry has resulted in significant differences in coffee varieties, bean appearance, and flavor. Kenyan coffee offers quite refreshing and sweet fruity flavors when consumed.

Altitude, Latitude, and Geology

The equator passes through Kenya from the middle, and the country is located within ten degrees north and south latitude. It belongs to tropical production areas, with two rainy seasons each year, allowing for two harvests - 60% concentrated from October to December, and the remaining 40% from June to August. Coffee is mainly grown in the volcanic areas around the capital Nairobi to the Kenyan highlands at altitudes of 1600-2100 meters, with most coffee grown above 1500 meters. This altitude is suitable for developing coffee bean flavors because the mountain temperatures are lower, growth is slower, and the aromatic components of coffee beans are fully developed, with more prominent fruit acidity and harder texture. This fertile, crescent-shaped coffee specialty area is the main production region for Kenyan specialty beans. Coffee is Kenya's second export trade product after tea.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

Kenya's most important and unique coffee varieties are SL28/SL34. These two coffee varieties have pure Kenyan coffee lineage, with rich berry notes and elegant red wine flavors, plus a rich chocolate aftertaste. They are often champions in professional cupping sessions and auctions.

Although Kenyan coffee varieties SL28/SL34 have excellent flavors, they are extremely poor in terms of yield and disease resistance. For this reason, in recent years, Kenya has extensively planted the more disease-resistant Ruiru variety of coffee beans, while pure SL28/SL34 lineage coffee beans continue to shrink. However, this new coffee variety has not been favored by coffee enthusiasts, who believe that Ruiru coffee is acidic but not aromatic, with extremely crude flavors, completely incomparable to the pure Kenyan AA coffee that deeply impresses coffee lovers. Especially when Ruiru coffee cools, it releases a rotten wood flavor. The Ruiru coffee variety doesn't have high yields, currently accounting for only 10% of Kenyan coffee.

In 1930, the Kenyan government commissioned the newly established Scott Labs to select suitable varieties for the country. After 42 initially selected varieties were numbered and screened one by one, SL-28 and SL-34 were finally obtained. The former originated from Bourbon, while SL-34 originated from Typica - the two are not varieties from the same series.

The original goal of selecting SL28 was to produce coffee beans that combined high quality with disease resistance in large quantities. In some production areas, the selection goal was mainly high yield and disease resistance, without considering disease resistance.

Thanks to Bourbon genetics, although SL28's later yields were not as expected, its copper-colored leaves and broad bean-shaped beans have wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex, varied flavors, as well as significant citrus and dark plum characteristics. SL34 has similar flavors to SL28 - besides complex, 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.

Subsequently, the former received quite high evaluations, typically having blackcurrant-like acidity and complex flavor displays; although the latter was slightly inferior, it also had impressive fruity flavors. These two varieties currently account for 90% of Kenya's production and have become generally recognized representatives of Kenyan coffee varieties. Currently, South America is also actively introducing SL28 as a cultivation variety.

Knowledge Extension

The 72-hour fermentation washed processing method is a cyclic repeated processing method of washing after harvesting and fermentation. On the day of harvest, the highest quality coffee cherries are selected for depulping and fermentation, with a fermentation time of 24 hours. After 24 hours, they are washed with clean river water.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation just to let more friends fall in love with coffee, and every month there are 3 low-discount coffee activities. The reason is that FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price, which has been FrontStreet Coffee's principle for 6 years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473