An Introduction to Kenya Coffee Bean Grading System: Is AA Grade the Best from Kenya?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Kenya Coffee Grading System

Grown at high altitudes of 6,600 feet, Kenya AA is considered one of the world's finest premium coffees. Coffee beans produced on the Kenyan highlands have a full body with rich, robust, and very pleasant acidity. The fragrant aroma also has floral notes, with wine-like undertones in the aftertaste, along with citrus and berry notes. In the Kenya coffee grading system, AA represents the largest screen size, meaning the coffee beans are just over 1/4 inch in diameter.

Kenyan coffee beans are typically grown at altitudes of 1,500-2,000 meters, with most beans cultivated by small farmers who harvest twice a year. Kenyan coffee beans are characterized by their fruity flavors and rich taste, with a tendency toward acidity. Additionally, to improve the exploitation of small farmers, Kenya has established a comprehensive auction system that has successfully overcome the past situation where small farmers were often exploited.

Kenyan Coffee Bean Grades: AA(AA+), AB, C, PB, TT, T, E

E: Elephant beans, generally a hybrid of Maragogype

Typically, one coffee fruit contains two seeds that face each other, with one side of the seed being flat, called flat beans, or can be called mother beans or twin beans. E beans are formed when these two seeds fuse together during growth, becoming unusually large beans. Due to being a natural mutation, they are extremely rare.

AA, AB, C: Typica varieties, classified from large to small

AA represents the largest beans, AB is next in size, and C refers to even smaller beans.

PB: Rare round beans (peaberries)

Due to the smaller quantity of round beans, they are considered comparatively precious.

TT, T: Lighter weight beans

TT and T grade beans, due to their lighter weight and hardness not meeting official standards, form separate grades. TT grade coffee beans are sized between AA and AB, while T grade beans are similar in size to C grade beans. Both are classified separately due to insufficient hardness and lighter weight.

The most commonly found in coffee shops are still Kenya AA or Kenya AA+. Next time you see a long coffee name in a coffee shop, do you know how to read it? Actually, just remember that when you see the word "Kenya," think of coffee beans with fruity notes, and the rest is just a distinction of bean size and weight.

Knowledge Extension: Natural vs. Washed Processing

The natural processing method involves drying the coffee cherries first before removing the fruit skin, while the washed processing method removes the fruit skin first before drying.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research hall that loves sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee events each month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to offer the best coffee at the lowest prices to more friends. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

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