Characteristics of Kenya AA Grade Coffee Beans - Introduction to Washed AA Hand-Drip Flavor Profile

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya coffee is characterized by its distinct fruity aroma, particularly with prominent notes of small tomatoes and dark berries. High-quality FrontStreet Coffee Kenya coffee offers multi-layered flavors with juice-like acidity, complex aromas of grapefruit and wine, and moderate body, making it a favorite single-origin coffee bean among many industry professionals. FrontStreet Coffee's house-roasted Assalia coffee beans originate from Kenya, selected from AA TOP grade, and processed using 72-hour washed methods, presenting the typical "Kenya flavor."

Kenyan green coffee beans are classified and graded based on size, color, shape, and density. Kenyans believe that bean size is the most critical factor in quality, as larger, more uniform beans facilitate better transformation and accumulation of aromatic compounds during roasting. Therefore, the largest and best Kenyan coffee beans are graded as Kenya AA, using screens with holes larger than a quarter-inch in diameter, with particle sizes exceeding 18 mesh or 7.22 millimeters.

Despite being adjacent to Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, Kenya's coffee industry developed relatively late, with their first coffee beans harvested in the late nineteenth century. When coffee was first introduced to Kenya, it was still a British colony. The British colonial government at that time widely promoted coffee cultivation in Kenya to earn foreign exchange, with harvested coffee beans shipped to London for export. It wasn't until 1933 that Kenya passed the Coffee Ordinance and established the Coffee Board, after which coffee sales matters were transferred back to Kenya. After independence in 1963, local Kenyan farmers also learned coffee cultivation expertise for an extended period, developing their own high-standard models in variety selection, cultivation, harvesting, post-processing, and grading.

Kenya's location along the equator provides ideal microclimates for coffee cultivation in the highlands surrounding Mount Kenya and the smaller areas around Mount Elgon. Here, deep, fertile volcanic soil and high-altitude terrain with well-drained geology are particularly suitable for the "delicate" Arabica coffee. Additionally, Kenya's soil contains more acidic substances, with pH values between 5.3 and 6.0, resulting in coffee flavors with bright, solid acidity. Furthermore, annual rainfall ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 millimeters, with abundant and evenly distributed precipitation across two distinct rainy seasons, which greatly benefits crop growth. Besides coffee, locals also produce tea.

The K72 Processing Method

The distinctive blackcurrant acidic aroma of FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya coffee comes not only from the phosphate-rich components in Kenyan local soil but also from Kenya's most famous K72 washed processing method. The biggest difference from Central and South American processing is that Kenyan washed processing utilizes double fermentation, commonly known as the K72 washed processing.

This processing method adopts a cyclic repeated treatment of fermentation and washing. After harvesting coffee cherries, the highest quality coffee berries are selected for pulping and fermentation for 24 hours, after which they are washed with clean water. Then, they undergo another 24-hour fermentation with clean water, followed by washing again. This process is repeated 3 times, reaching a total of 72 hours. FrontStreet Coffee believes that compared to conventional washed processing, the K72 washing method further enhances the acidity and cleanliness of coffee beans.

Flavor Profile and Brewing

This FrontStreet Coffee Kenya coffee features flavors of dark berries and stone fruits. To preserve more fruity aromas, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster chose a light roast. Through cupping comparison, FrontStreet Coffee found that the dry aroma presents notes of small tomatoes, preserved plums, and caramel. Upon tasting, there are dark stone fruits like plum, prunes, and apricots with saturated acidity. Therefore, in brewing, FrontStreet Coffee also strives to preserve more of the fruity charm of FrontStreet Coffee Kenya AA.

Pour-Over Parameters for FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Coffee Beans:

Filter: V60
Water Temperature: 92°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Fine sugar size (80% pass through #20 sieve)

Light-roasted coffee beans allow high-altitude coffee beans to retain more floral and fruity aromas. Compared to medium-dark roasts, the internal structure of light-roasted coffee beans is more compact, requiring higher water temperatures and finer grinding to better extract the coffee's flavor compounds. Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses hot water at 92-93°C for extraction, and for grind size, FrontStreet Coffee uses a #20 standard sieve with 80% pass-through rate.

For filter cup selection, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas habitually use plastic V60 filter cups to extract light to medium roast coffee beans. The V60 filter cup features flow ribs connecting the top and bottom and a large circular hole in the center, which speeds up water flow. The spiral-shaped exhaust groove design extends the water flow path, increasing contact time between coffee grounds and hot water. Each water stream converges along the grooves toward the filter cup's center point, concentrating pressure on the coffee grounds and resulting in coffee with richer layers.

First, pour 15 grams of coffee grounds into the filter cup and zero the scale. For the first pour, inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom while starting the timer. Throughout the process, use a small water stream starting from the center and spiraling outward, ensuring the entire coffee bed is moistened. For the second pour, use a slightly larger water stream to inject 120g of water, aiming to lift the entire coffee bed. The water stream needs to be poured vertically and evenly, at which point the timer scale shows 150g, completing at approximately 55 seconds. When the liquid level drops to half, begin the third pour of 90g using a small stream in small circles, trying to control the water stream to not be too large, which could easily scatter the coffee bed and cause under-extraction. Finally, the total water injection reaches 240g, with drip completion time around 2 minutes and 10 seconds. After removing the filter cup, shake the coffee liquid in the sharing pot evenly before tasting.

This FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Assalia coffee tastes of black plums, preserved plums, and other dark fruits' acidity. At medium temperature, it presents a rich sweet and sour taste of apricots and stone fruits, with a smooth red tea aftertaste.

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: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473