Are Kenyan Coffee Beans Arabica? Coveting the Sour Aroma of Kenyan Coffee Bean Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenyan coffee growing regions are concentrated mainly in the highlands around Mount Kenya. The tropical climate and acidic red volcanic soil provide a naturally suitable environment for the crop. The main specialty producing regions come from several counties: Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang'a, and Embu, while Laikipia is also relatively common.

Kenyan coffee cultivation consists mainly of two types: large-scale farms and cooperatives. Large-scale farms generally have bigger planting areas and their own coffee processing facilities. Most production, however, comes from the many small-scale farmers who form coffee cooperatives. Cooperatives usually hire specialized management staff responsible for supervising farmers' processing, even refining the management of each individual coffee tree.

Compared with the shade-grown cultivation found in many high-quality producing regions, shade trees are not common in Kenya, so the farms are noticeably more open. Kenyan coffee also rarely takes part in certifications. The limits of its varieties and environmental factors make pesticide use necessary, which is why the organic certification popular elsewhere is comparatively rare in Kenya. Kenya has two coffee harvest seasons: the main harvest runs from October to December, and the secondary season from May to July.

FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Varieties

The first coffee brought to Kenya for cultivation was Bourbon. In the 1950s the Kenyan government commissioned the agricultural research institution Scott Laboratory to find varieties that could adapt to Kenya's terroir, suit large-scale cultivation, and hold commercial value. The SL series was developed from research and selection based on Yemeni Mocha ancient varieties and Bourbon from Réunion Island. Relatively speaking, SL-28 has earned the higher reputation, while SL-34 delivers a larger harvest yield and is grown at slightly lower altitudes. Together, SL-28 and SL-34 helped Kenyan coffee form its own distinctive flavor character and overturned the long-standing prejudice that artificially selected varieties are inferior to natural ones.

SL-28

SL-28 has mixed ancestry of French missionaries, Mocha, and Yemeni Typica. It was originally bred in the hope of producing, on a large scale, beans that combined high quality with resistance to disease and pests. Although SL-28's yield later fell short of expectations, its copper-colored leaves and broad bean-shaped seeds bring wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex, varied flavors, along with pronounced citrus and dark plum characteristics.

SL-34

SL-34 carries ancestry of French missionaries, Bourbon, and more Typica bloodlines. It shares a similar flavor with SL-28, but beyond their complex, varied acidity and wonderful sweet finish, SL-34 has a heavier, richer body than SL-28, and is cleaner.

These two varieties currently account for 90% of Kenya's production and have become recognized representatives of Kenyan coffee, letting us recognize the distinctive FrontStreet Coffee Kenya bean style: strong, rich fruit acidity, a full body, and balance.

Knowledge Point

Kenyan coffee producing regions are distributed mainly across Central Province, Eastern Province, Rift Valley Province, Western Province, and Nyanza Province.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the bold, fruit-driven acidity of Kenya's SL varieties is what draws you in, FrontStreet Coffee's high-grown Arabica line-up offers the same kind of intensity. The FrontStreet Panama Red Label Geisha comes from the famed Esmeralda estate and delivers elegant florals, citrus, peach, and a creamy body with an oolong-tea finish. For a juicy, grape-and-tropical-fruit character that echoes Kenya's brightness, the FrontStreet Colombia Sidra, roasted medium-light, brings floral, tropical fruit, grape, dried fruit, and passion fruit notes. Both show how vivid and layered a well-grown Arabica can be.