Recommended Kenyan Coffee Brands: Rich Juice-like Qualities of Kenya AA Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Kenya Coffee Grading Introduction

Kenyan coffee is predominantly grown at altitudes between 1,500-2,100 meters, with two harvests annually. Its main characteristics are distinct fruit aromas, commonly citrus notes. Kenyan coffee offers multi-layered flavors with juice-like acidity, perfect grapefruit and wine notes, and moderate body.

Screen Size Grading

Screen size grading is a method of classifying coffee beans based on their size. Raw beans are passed through iron plate screens with holes to determine their size and thus establish their grade. The screen hole size unit is 1/64 inch (less than 0.4mm), so the screen number indicates how many 1/64 inch units it contains. For example, a size 17 screen is 17/64 inches, approximately 6.75mm, so larger screen numbers indicate larger coffee beans.

This grading method is used because larger beans have better appearance and tend to develop more complex and varied flavors compared to smaller beans. However, this doesn't necessarily mean larger beans are always of better quality than smaller ones. Ethiopian coffee beans are generally narrow and small, yet their flavors are among the most memorable and beloved. Similarly, Yunnan's small-variety coffee beans receive quite high evaluations in the international market.

Kenya is one of the most representative countries that use screen size grading, along with others like Tanzania and Colombia (some countries use more than one grading method; the examples here are countries primarily using this representative approach). Kenya's highest grade, AA++, requires screens above size 18, meaning beans larger than 7.15mm. Kenyan bean grading is detailed, including grades such as AA++, AA+, AA, and AB. Colombia's grading is simpler, divided by bean size into Supremo (Specialty Grade) and Excelso (Premium Grade). For Supremo, 80% of raw beans must pass through screens above size 17, while for Excelso, 80% must pass through screens above sizes 14/16, with a maximum allowance of about 11% size 14 beans mixed with size 16 beans.

The screen sizes mentioned above apply to flat beans. Pea berries have their own set of screen size standards, typically using screens sizes 8-12 for grading.

Knowledge Point: Coffee quality can vary based on factors such as altitude, latitude, and soil chemical composition. Coffee cultivation outside the optimal range of these factors will significantly alter the final quality of the coffee.

About FrontStreet Coffee

In summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research center dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation because we want more friends to fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee events monthly because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more people enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices—this has been our mission for the past six years!

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473