Revered African Coffee Regions: Kenya Coffee Beans - The Eden Garden of Love

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FrontStreet Coffee - Kenya Coffee Introduction

Kenyan coffee mostly grows at altitudes of 1,500-2,100 meters, with two harvests per year. Its main characteristic is a distinct fruit aroma, commonly citrus. Kenyan coffee offers multi-layered flavors with juice-like acidity, perfect notes of grapefruit and wine, moderate body, and is a favorite single-origin among many coffee professionals.

Kenyan coffee is grown by small-scale farmers. After harvesting, they send fresh coffee beans to cooperative washing stations, where the washed and dried coffee is delivered to cooperatives as "parchment coffee" (beans with the endocarp still attached). All coffee is collected together, and growers are paid based on average prices according to actual quality. This trading method generally works well and is fair to both growers and consumers.

The Kenyan government takes the coffee industry extremely seriously, where cutting or destroying coffee trees is illegal. Buyers of Kenyan coffee are world-class premium coffee purchasers, and no other country can continuously grow, produce, and sell coffee like Kenya. All coffee beans are first purchased by the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK), where they are evaluated, graded, and then sold at weekly auctions without further grading. The Coffee Board of Kenya only acts as an agent, collecting coffee samples and distributing them to buyers for price and quality assessment.

Premium coffee has a bright gloss, delicious taste, and a slight wine aroma. Organizing auctions also meets the needs of blenders. These auctions typically handle smaller quantities (3-6 tons per lot), with samples marked with grower identification for buyer evaluation. After auction, exporters package according to different flavors, qualities, and quantities required by blenders. This provides great flexibility for blenders. Quality-conscious Germans and Scandinavians are long-term buyers of Kenyan coffee.

Globally, the growth of Kenyan coffee is evident. From 1969-1970, exports were 800,000 bags, and by 1985-1986, production increased to 2 million bags. Current production is stable at 1.6 million bags, with an average yield of about 650 kilograms per hectare. Before the recent surge in coffee prices, Kenyan coffee prices had been rising steadily. Prices in 1993-1994 were 50% higher than 12 months earlier. Price increases were mainly the result of increased demand.

Kenyan coffee gained further fame through the Hollywood film "Out of Africa." In the film, the heroine Karen, played by Meryl Streep, is a writer and coffee plantation owner. Many probably still remember the touching scenery and magnificent sunsets in the film, but even more unforgettable is Karen's dream of owning a coffee plantation in Africa.

Perhaps the meaning of Kenyan coffee beans also embodies this beautiful yearning for life!

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unconditional sharing is only to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for six years!

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