How to Cup Kenyan Coffee Beans Correctly: Step-by-Step Guide and Fruit Flavor Profile Characteristics

The Proper Way to Taste Coffee

What is the proper way to drink coffee? According to FrontStreet Coffee, if you're drinking coffee in your daily routine, simply sipping and enjoying it is sufficient. However, customers often ask FrontStreet Coffee about the secrets baristas use when tasting coffee.

Unlike regular drinking methods, professional coffee tasting employs a technique called "slurping." This technique originates from cupping. At this point, FrontStreet Coffee believes many coffee novices may already feel confused. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will start from cupping and gradually answer your questions.

Cupping is a method that uses standardized roasting, extraction, and tasting techniques to document coffee's aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel through smell, taste, and touch, then quantifies these qualities into scores to complete the coffee evaluation. Typically, such professional practice is performed by "Q Graders" professionals, but now increasingly experienced baristas and roasters also use cupping methods to test coffee.

The Origins of Coffee Cupping

Cupping originally stems from the much older wine culture. Wine tasting originated in the 14th century. Although coffee cupping started relatively late, its development has been extremely rapid under the leadership of the third wave specialty coffee movement. Cupping is a method to ensure green bean quality, and the process is very complex. The scoring standards also severely test a cupper's professionalism. FrontStreet Coffee has previously provided detailed introductions about cupping in earlier articles. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will briefly introduce how to properly appreciate a Kenyan coffee through the cupping process.

Cupping Process

For cupping, it's recommended to have three identical coffee cups, three sample cups, a cupping spoon, a glass of clean water, and a waste water cup. The reason for preparing three cups is to test bean consistency. Consistency is an SCA cupping scoring item, while COE doesn't have this item, so they added a balance category instead.

Cupping Steps:

Step 1: Grind the coffee beans

Step 2: Evaluate the dry aroma of each coffee

Step 3: Add water. Pour 94°C hot water into the cupping cups and let steep for about 4 minutes

Step 4: Break the crust. At this time, you can smell the wet aroma

Step 5: Skim the grounds

Step 6: After 9 minutes of water addition, begin slurping the coffee with a cupping spoon, allowing it to aerate and spread across your tongue. Use retronasal olfaction to appreciate the vaporized aromas released by coffee oils and feel the coffee's body in your mouth

Step 7: Slurp again as the temperature decreases. Off-flavors in coffee are often discovered when it approaches room temperature

At this point, you should have learned how to cup a cup of coffee! Regarding flavor descriptions and the coffee flavor wheel introduction, everyone can refer to FrontStreet Coffee's official account or browse relevant information on coffee websites. Below, we'll use acidic coffee as a representative to discuss the characteristics of coffee from the Kenyan region.

Kenyan Coffee Characteristics

In the coffee industry, Kenya is a powerful coffee-producing country located in East Africa. Both its coffee bean flavors and their trade methods are among the best. The finest Kenyan coffee isn't simply classified as AA or AB. They are sold through specific auction methods to the highest bidder, and intense competition typically drives prices up. Kenya's research achievements are also unparalleled. Many small-scale agricultural farmers have received higher education under government guidance and have received various honors. Kenya's quality control process is extremely detailed, all aimed at producing higher-grade coffee.

Generally, coffee produced here has a bright and clear taste, with intensity gradually increasing from the initial taste to the aftertaste. For those who don't like coffee acidity, it might not be suitable (due to its series of chlorogenic acids, the characteristic of this coffee is its bright-tasting acidity). Fine Kenyan coffee has body and complexity, with unique and distinct fruit flavors (citrus and berry), sometimes including spicy notes. Some Kenyan coffees are bright and clear, while others have precious wine-like flavors.

Two recent Kenyan green coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee - from the Ruthira Cooperative and Kirinyaga - have a juice-like mouthfeel. Unlike over-fermented coffees, these two Kenyan coffees have a more grapefruit and citrus-like taste that is pleasant. Why is Kenyan coffee so acidic? FrontStreet Coffee believes this taste is closely related to its processing method and coffee growing environment. First, let's look at the growing environment of coffee in Kenya. The advantages of Kenyan coffee growth lie in high altitude, volcanic soil, and unique washing methods.

Kenyan coffee growing areas generally have high altitudes, typically around 1600 meters. Currently, people mainly divide Kenyan coffee growing areas into six regions: Kiambu, Murang'a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, Machakos, and the Bungoma region of Mount Elgon. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature and the less oxygen, so the coffee growing period becomes longer, and the sugars and aromatic substances in coffee increase, making the coffee more delicious. FrontStreet Coffee's Kirinyaga coffee growing area is a volcanic region with high altitude, often between 1300-1900 meters, where minerals in the volcanic soil also provide nutrients for coffee cultivation. Therefore, it produces much fine coffee.

Here, we need to tell all coffee enthusiast friends that because Kenyan coffee is mostly grown by small farmers, coffee traceability is difficult. Most coffee is only clearly identified down to the cooperative station, which is also the main production model for Kenyan coffee. Cooperatives and processing stations are the second window for Kenyan coffee. For processing stations and cooperative stations that can consistently produce high-quality coffee beans, buyers will continuously visit and purchase. Processing stations pay coffee farmers based on the weight of fruit delivered. Well-performing processing stations will offer farmers higher purchase prices, so this method creates a virtuous cycle for Kenyan coffee.

Kenyan Coffee Processing Methods

Kenyan coffee's washed processing method is also one of the main reasons why Kenyan coffee has gained worldwide fame. Most coffee washed processing is done after the mucilage layer has fallen off, and the entire process is very fast. However, Kenya's washing method often includes two more steps than general washing methods. After fermentation, when introducing another clean water tank, the coffee's fermentation process is actually already completed when it first leaves the water tank. The subsequent washing and resting can make the coffee flavor cleaner. Multiple washings can completely remove the pectin layer from the coffee, and the entire process often reaches about 72 hours, so this washing method is also known as the K72 washing method.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenyan Small Tomato uses this washing processing method.

Region: Thika

Processing Station: Asali Honey Processing Station

Altitude: 1550-1750 meters

Variety: SL-28, SL-34

Processing Method: 72-hour washed

Grade: AA TOP

The characteristic taste of this Kenyan coffee is very prominent caramel flavor upon entry, with light floral notes in the wet aroma. As the temperature drops, the acidity of dark plum appears, and the acidity becomes increasingly obvious and bright, with a prominent juice-like sensation.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473