What are the coffee varieties in Kenya? Why are Kenya AA coffee beans so acidic?

When ordering pour-over coffee at FrontStreet Coffee, customers who aren't seeking special flavors often lean towards choosing African coffee beans. However, with Africa being such a vast continent with numerous countries, how does one choose the bean that's right for them? For coffee enthusiasts just starting out, their first choice would most likely be Yirgacheffe or Sidamo from Ethiopia. However, many seasoned coffee aficionados have a special fondness for coffee beans from Kenya, and that's because the characteristic taste of Kenyan coffee features wild berry acidity. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will delve into the details of Kenyan coffee beans.

History

As we all know, the origin of coffee is Ethiopia. Although neighboring the coffee birthplace of Ethiopia, Kenya's coffee cultivation history is not particularly long. There are two versions regarding the history of coffee cultivation in Kenya:

It is commonly believed that coffee was introduced to Kenya in the late 19th century by missionaries from the Holy Ghost Fathers. The more commonly accepted version is that in 1893, French Holy Ghost Fathers brought coffee from Réunion Island (Bourbon Island, the discovery place of Bourbon variety coffee) to Kenya, while others believe it was introduced from Ethiopia.

There's another theory according to an article "Coffees from Africa and Arabia: Kenya Coffee" published in 2001 by Mr. Kenneth Davids, founder of Coffee Review, which mentions that coffee was introduced to Kenya by the British around 1900.

What we do know is that Kenya became a colony of the British Empire in 1895, controlled by Britain and classified as part of the "East Africa Protectorate." During this period, the British controlled the region's agriculture, including coffee cultivation. In 1933, the Kenya Coffee Board was established. In 1934, the auction system was established and continues to this day. It wasn't until the 1960s that Kenyans began to have the power to grow and process their own coffee.

By the late 1980s, Kenyan coffee reached its peak development period, with an annual output of up to 130,000 tons. However, in recent years, Kenya's coffee industry has shown signs of decline, with an annual output of only about 40,000 tons. Fortunately, the Kenyan authorities have formulated a coffee revitalization plan to save the declining coffee industry in their country.

Growing Regions

According to "The World Atlas of Coffee" by James Hoffmann, which FrontStreet Coffee has referenced, most of Kenya's coffee comes from the central growing regions of the country, and the highest quality coffee also comes from this area.

Among Kenya's 14 coffee growing regions, coffee from the Kiambu and Muranga regions has bright acidity and a full body; coffee from the Nyeri region features bright blackberry notes with a heavy oily texture, along with citrus and even floral aromas; coffee from the Kirinyaga region exhibits bright fruit acidity with moderate oiliness and delicate sweetness; coffee from the Embu region has appropriate acidity, with balanced and clear flavors and a surprising aftertaste; coffee from the Machakos region has refreshing fruit acidity, delicate flavors, moderate texture, and a delicate, fresh aftertaste; coffee from the Kisii and Elgon regions has solid sweetness and gentle flavors.

Grading System

When ordering Kenyan coffee in cafés, if you look closely at the grading section, you'll easily notice the letters "AA." Baristas at FrontStreet Coffee are often asked by novice coffee enthusiasts whether Kenya AA is the highest grade and how they differentiate the grades.

Kenyan coffee beans are roughly classified into eight grades based on bean size: E, PB, AA, AB, C, TT, T, and MH/ML.

FrontStreet Coffee would like to emphasize that the grade of coffee beans is determined before roasting, so don't think about sifting roasted coffee beans.

E: Kenyan E, known as Elephant beans, are large in size and relatively rare in production.

PB: PB stands for Peaberry, which is what everyone knows as round beans, shaped like an ellipse. Normal coffee cherries contain two coffee seeds, while peaberries contain only one seed.

AA: Kenyan AA is arguably the most common grade, with larger beans sized at 17/18 screen.

AB: Beans sized at 16/17 screen.

C: Beans sized below 14 screen.

TT: Large screen size but low density, with quality sufficient to be classified as specialty coffee.

T: Below 14 screen, small beans with density and quality insufficient for specialty coffee classification.

MH/ML: Low-quality natural process beans, mostly overripe beans dried on the tree.

Why Kenyan Coffee is So Acidic

When a coffee enthusiast asks for "the most acidic bean," the barista at FrontStreet Coffee would first recommend Kenya Assalia from the bean menu. The bright, clean acidity of Kenyan coffee is considered a characteristic taste of Kenyan coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee: Kenya · Assalia Coffee Beans
Region: Thika, Kenya
Altitude: 1550m-1750m
Processing: K72 Washed
Varieties: SL28, SL34

If we want to deeply discuss where the acidity in Kenyan coffee beans comes from, we must mention Kenya's local growing environment, coffee varieties, and processing methods.

The red volcanic soil where coffee is grown in Kenya contains large amounts of phosphate. Additionally, the two common coffee varieties in Kenya, SL28 and SL34, are Bourbon variants. Through cupping multiple Kenyan coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee has also found that the berry acidity in these SL28 and SL34 varieties is prominent.

The exceptionally clean and bright flavor profile of Kenyan coffee is attributed to Kenya's unique post-processing method - the Kenya 72-hour washed processing method, also known as K72 washed processing.

After removing the skin from the coffee cherries, the parchment beans with mucilage are placed in fermentation tanks for dry fermentation without adding water. Every 6-8 hours, water is introduced to wash the parchment beans and then drained, repeating the dry fermentation process. This stage takes 24 hours.

In the second stage, the water in the fermentation tank is not filled to capacity, fermenting for 12-24 hours, then manually introduced into washing channels, where most of the mucilage is removed through stirring.

The third stage repeats the fermentation step, with the tank filled more fully with water, followed by secondary fermentation in clean water. The secondary soaking lasts for 12-24 hours, allowing the residual small amounts of sugar and mucilage on the parchment bean surface to continue fermenting until completely removed. Finally, the coffee beans are moved to drying beds for sun drying.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee beans processed using the Kenya 72-hour washed method can achieve a cleaner, brighter, yet fuller flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing parameters for Kenya Assalia coffee beans are as follows:

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90°C-93°C
Amount: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: EK43s #10 (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee uses a three-stage pouring technique: bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, second stage circular pour to 125g, wait for the water level to drop until the coffee bed is about to be exposed, then continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait until all the coffee liquid has flowed into the sharing pot, then remove the dripper. Total extraction time is 2 minutes.

When it comes to tasting single-origin coffee, besides pour-over, SOE (Single Origin Espresso), which has become increasingly popular in coffee shops in recent years, has also become one of many people's home extraction solutions. For the above fruit-rich Kenyan coffee beans, customers have asked FrontStreet Coffee whether they can be made into SOE Americano or SOE Latte. The answer is undoubtedly yes, of course it's possible.

In FrontStreet Coffee's view, good SOE first and foremost requires good beans, followed by a roast level suitable for espresso machines, and then ideal extraction and presentation. The so-called "suitable roast" has three requirements for SOE: first, preserving the "regional flavor" of the growing area; second, creating espresso with good balance; and third, a crucial point - providing higher extraction stability for the maker. Otherwise, either the resulting coffee tastes poor or lacks SOE characteristics, or the extraction is too difficult, resulting in an entire bag of beans being exhausted without successfully producing a satisfactory cup of SOE coffee.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will use the equipment in their store as a reference, using the previously introduced Kenya · Assalia coffee beans to demonstrate how to prepare an SOE.

The coffee machine at FrontStreet Coffee is the commercial single-group "Lelit Bianca," which can adjust extraction by changing pressure, with a maximum pressure of 11 bar. Home coffee machines only need to reach 9 bar pressure to satisfy extraction and milk frothing functions, paired with an espresso grinder.

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double basket capacity, with an amount of about 18-20g, and FrontStreet Coffee uses 20g of coffee powder for their drinks. Typically, the ratio of coffee grounds to coffee liquid is between 1:1.5-1:2.5. FrontStreet Coffee's extraction ratio is 1:2, meaning 20g of coffee grounds extracts 40g of coffee liquid. The time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, a single extraction is controlled within 20-35 seconds, because within 20 seconds the coffee usually tastes thin, while beyond 35 seconds it's prone to over-extraction, resulting in sourness and bitterness. Most of FrontStreet Coffee's espresso extracts within the 28-30 second range.

FrontStreet Coffee first wipes the portafilter dry, turns on the grinder, grinds a double dose of coffee grounds, places them on an electronic scale for adjustment until reaching 20g. Then, a tool is used to distribute the grounds evenly, and the coffee puck is tamped firmly to ensure more stable extraction. Next, the extraction switch is turned on to release water, moistening the group head while washing away any residual coffee grounds, and the portafilter is gently attached to the group head to begin the extraction. When the electronic scale shows 40g of extracted coffee liquid, which takes about 30 seconds, the extraction switch is turned off. The coffee liquid is poured into an espresso cup and is ready to enjoy.

The extracted Kenya · Assalia SOE can be consumed directly, but the taste will be very intense. Remember to pair it with a glass of water to cleanse your palate. When tasting, you can perceive the light-colored crema and the berry, tomato, and cookie aromas in the underlying coffee liquid. If you can't accept the strong bitterness of espresso, FrontStreet Coffee recommends adding ice water or warm water at a 1:4 ratio according to your preference to create a refreshing and mellow Kenya SOE Americano, or adding frothed fresh milk at a 1:6 ratio to soften the texture, creating a delicious Kenya SOE latte.

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