Kenyan Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations: Premium AA Coffee Beans with Exquisite Juice-like Flavor Profile

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Kenya Coffee Grading

Kenyan coffee beans are beloved by many drinkers, not only because they taste great but also because they are "big." The "AA" in Kenyan AA refers to the grade of Kenyan washed coffee beans.

Screen Size Grading

Screen size grading is a method of classifying coffee beans by size. Raw coffee beans pass through iron screens with holes to determine their size and therefore their grade. The screen hole size is measured in 1/64 inch increments (less than 0.4mm), so the screen number tells you how many 1/64 inches it represents. A size 17 screen, for example, is 17/64 inch, approximately 6.75mm. The larger the screen number, the larger the bean.

Kenya is one of the most representative countries using screen size grading, alongside Tanzania and Colombia. (Some countries use more than one grading method; these are examples of countries where this method predominates.) Kenya's highest grade, AA++, requires screens larger than size 18, meaning beans larger than 7.15mm. Kenyan grading is detailed and includes AA++, AA+, AA, AB and more:

Kenyan Coffee Grades

AA: Large raw beans, screen size 17-18

AB: Slightly smaller than AA, screen size 15-16, and the majority of production

PB: Peaberry beans, unrelated to weight or flavour

C: Screen size 14, slightly smaller than AB

E: Elephant beans

TT: Lighter beans blown out of AA and AB grade beans with a separator

T: Small beans with broken particles

The grades above are based primarily on bean size rather than cup quality. AA belongs to the largest screen size, while AB is slightly smaller. Although AB lacks the substantial mouthfeel of AA, it holds a unique and irreplaceable position in terms of flavour and sweetness.

Knowledge Point

Coffee quality can be affected by factors such as altitude, latitude and soil chemistry. Growing coffee outside the proper range of these factors will significantly alter the final quality of the cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Kenya's juicy, berry-driven cup is one of the most distinctive in the world, and FrontStreet Coffee pairs it well with Colombia's balanced, versatile profile. For a straightforward daily cup, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Colombia Huila comes from the country's best-known specialty region on the southern Central Cordillera, where plantations sit above 1,500 metres. Roasted medium-dark, it leads with black chocolate and nutty sweetness, medium oil and a full body, and it works for pour-over and French press as well as moka pot and espresso, so it handles an Americano or a latte with ease.

If you want something more adventurous alongside your Kenyan beans, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombia Frontera Estate Sidra is anaerobically fermented as a natural. The low-oxygen fermentation converts more tropical fruit aroma, so at a medium-light roast you can expect passion fruit, grape, apricot and dried fruit across pour-over, cold brew, drip bags and moka pot.

For espresso drinkers, the FrontStreet Classic Blend combines the creamy, nutty sweetness of Brazil with the dark chocolate bitterness of Colombia. It extracts with a fine golden crema and is exceptionally friendly over milk in a rich, smooth latte, and it also serves as the base for an Americano, cappuccino or mocha.