Kenya Karogoto Coffee Kenya Karogoto AA Washed Coffee Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee - Kenya Karugoto Washed AA

Known as the "Connoisseurs' Cup," Kenyan coffee is renowned in the coffee world for its rich and aromatic fragrance, bright and lively acidity, full and elegant body, and wine-like flavors. Coffee from different regions exhibits subtle flavor variations due to differences in microclimate.

Most Kenyan coffee grows at altitudes between 1,500-2,100 meters, with two harvests per year. Its main characteristics include distinct fruit aromas, with citrus being the most common. Kenyan coffee offers multi-layered flavors and juice-like acidity, with perfect notes of grapefruit and wine, moderate body, making it a favorite single-origin among many coffee professionals.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

Bourbon was initially brought to Kenya for cultivation. In the 1950s, the agricultural research institution Scott Laboratory, through relentless efforts, selected two excellent hybrid varieties: SL-28 and SL-34. This subverted the long-standing prejudice that artificially selected varieties could not be as good as natural varieties. SL-28 and SL-34 helped Kenyan coffee develop its unique flavor characteristics, establishing a perfect reputation in the coffee world.

According to botanists at the SL Laboratory, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. Among them, SL28 has a mixed lineage of French Mission, Mocha, and Yemen Typica. The original goal of developing SL28 was to produce large quantities of high-quality coffee beans that could resist diseases and pests.

Although SL28's yield later did not meet the large expectations, its copper-colored leaves and broad bean shape offer wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex, varied flavors, with prominent citrus and black plum characteristics. SL34 has similar flavors to SL28, but besides complex, varied acidity and a great sweet finish, its body is heavier and richer than SL28, and cleaner. SL34 has French Mission, Bourbon, and more Typica lineage. The bean appearance is similar to SL28, but it better adapts to sudden heavy rains. It is these two important varieties that lead us to understand the unique Kenyan style: intense and rich fruit acidity, rich body, and beautiful balance.

Kenyan Coffee Processing

Large farms usually have independent processing facilities. Numerous small farmers typically hand-pick ripe coffee cherries themselves. Coffee picking is labor-intensive work, requiring the entire family to work during the harvest season, and sometimes hiring workers is necessary. The picked fresh coffee cherries need to be promptly transported to processing factories owned by cooperatives for pulping. Transportation tools might include ox carts, pickup trucks, or trucks. After pulping, the parchment coffee is briefly stored at the cooperative's processing plant before being sent to privately-owned factories for hulling.

Kenyan "Double Washed Method"

Kenya's double washing method is also known as Kenyan double fermentation.

This is because its washing tanks have two levels: upper and lower. Coffee farmers generally first select defective beans from the harvested coffee cherries in the evening, remove the peel, and pour the mucilage-covered parchment beans into the upper fermentation tank, or adopt dry fermentation without tank water. After fermenting all night, they wash it once the next morning to remove most of the mucilage, then enter the lower clean water tank for secondary fermentation.

During the secondary fermentation process, the circulating water is replaced every 3-5 hours to prevent mold growth and odor, then it's directed to washing channels to remove the remaining mucilage.

The entire process takes at least 36 hours, after which the thoroughly washed parchment beans need to be soaked in the clean water tank for at least 12 hours, and finally undergo sun-drying for dehydration to be considered complete. This total time consumption is several times longer than the total processing time in Central and South America, and water resource requirements are also significantly increased.

Karugoto

This Kenyan AA Karugoto comes from the Nyeri region of Kenya. This stunning coffee variety grows on a plateau at an altitude of 1,700 meters, with only small coffee estates planting this coffee variety. Using Kenya's double washing method, combined with the large temperature difference between day and night in the local area, as well as Kenya's red phosphate soil, makes sweet and sour the main flavor tone of this Kenyan coffee.

Flavor Description

Intense lemon and plum dry and wet aromas. When light-roasted and sipped, it presents stunning floral and lemon aromas. The front notes are fresh citrus and lime, mixed with the comfortable woody tone of sage, plum juice, and the sweet and sour feeling of preserved fruits, with caramel aromas in the finish.

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