Kenyan and Ethiopian Coffee: How to Brew Fruity, Acidic African Coffee Beans

Introduction

When it comes to African coffee, everyone immediately mentions Ethiopia and Kenya. After all, these two countries are the pillars of African coffee, holding the top positions. The coffee beans grown in these two nations, with their bright fruit acidity and clean, refreshing taste, have become beloved favorites in the specialty coffee industry. This time, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the differences between Kenyan and Ethiopian coffee.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is located in East Africa. FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee has been integrated into Ethiopia's social structure and cultural economy for hundreds of years. In Ethiopia, coffee is their cultural core and an important source of income for most people. The country is also recognized worldwide as the birthplace of coffee and is highly respected in the specialty coffee market. Coffee shop menus around the world almost always feature Ethiopian coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee is no exception. Among Ethiopia's 9 coffee-producing regions, two major regions have become synonymous with Ethiopian coffee: Yirgacheffe and Sidamo.

Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe has always been one of the most important coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia. It was formerly part of the Sidamo coffee region but became an independent coffee-producing region due to the unique flavor of Yirgacheffe coffee beans. It can be said that Yirgacheffe is not just the name of a coffee-producing region but also a term describing specific coffee flavors. The Yirgacheffe coffee region is a high-altitude coffee-producing area, with an altitude of about 2000 meters. The Yirgacheffe coffee region has more than 40 cooperatives, mainly managing coffee cultivation through family-operated models. Underneath the Yirgacheffe coffee region are many well-known micro-regions, such as Kochere, Misty Valley, and Worka, among others. These micro-regions all have excellent cooperatives, and the Yirgacheffe coffee beans they produce each have their unique flavor characteristics. The so-called Yirgacheffe flavor refers to rich jasmine fragrance, lemon aroma, peach and almond sweetness, and tea notes. FrontStreet Coffee believes that describing it as "a hundred flowers blooming" is most appropriate.

Sidamo

The Sidamo region has an altitude of 1400-2200 meters and is a famous specialty coffee area in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya. Washed Sidamo beans are light green, not large in size, oblong in shape, and full-bodied. They have good average quality, aromatic and mellow flavor, and an endless aftertaste with wild beauty. Sidamo's coffee flavor is very diverse, with different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties creating obvious differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by each town. In 2010-2012, it continuously achieved high scores of 92-94 from the authoritative American coffee evaluation website CR. This demonstrates the extraordinary quality of green beans from this region. The area has towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains, with diverse topography. The local geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil, with soil depth of nearly two meters. The surface soil appears dark brown or brown. The region's greatest advantage is that soil fertility is maintained through the circulation of organic matter, using withered leaves from surrounding trees or plant residues as fertilizer. Finely washed or natural processed Sidamo coffee typically has obvious sweetness, strawberry and berry flavors, with quality comparable to Yirgacheffe.

Kenya

Kenya is located in East Africa, bordering Ethiopia. Kenya's coffee history is not as ancient as Ethiopia's, with coffee only being introduced around the 20th century. When coffee was first introduced to Kenya, Kenya was a British colony. At that time, the British colonial government widely promoted coffee cultivation in Kenya to earn foreign exchange, and after harvesting the coffee beans, they were shipped to London for export sales. In 1922, Kenya established the Scott Agricultural Laboratory (SL28 and SL34 were named after it) to conduct coffee cultivation research. In the more than 10 years after its establishment, they selected SL28 and SL34 from 42 coffee varieties as the most suitable for cultivation in the region, providing an excellent start for the development of the coffee industry. Today, these two varieties occupy 90% of Kenya's cultivation area. The Kenyan government attaches great importance to coffee sales. In 1931, the Kenya Growers' Cooperative Union and the Kenya National Coffee Committee were established to guide the development of the coffee industry from both civil and national levels. In 1937, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange was established, starting Kenya's coffee auction system, where good coffee fetched good prices, setting the tone for coffee pricing. In 1938, the Kenyan government issued a coffee grading system, which is what we know as AA, AB, PB - a system that began to provide a basis for the quality of Kenyan coffee.

Kenyan coffee beans have wonderful and satisfying aromas, balanced and delicious acidity, uniform particles, and excellent fruit flavors. FrontStreet Coffee has compared Kenyan coffee beans with those of neighboring Ethiopia and found that although both are dominated by fruit acidity tones, the feeling they present is completely different. Kenyan acidity is strong and thick, while Ethiopian acidity is gentle and bright. If you're trying African coffee beans for the first time, FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with Ethiopian coffee beans and gradually transitioning to Kenyan coffee beans.

Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Traditionally, Yirgacheffe used the most ancient natural processing method. However, in 1972, Ethiopia introduced the washing technology from Central and South America to improve coffee quality, making Yirgacheffe's jasmine and citrus aromas clearer and brighter. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the most fundamental difference between washed and natural processing methods is that washing presents the most basic flavor of coffee, most intuitively reflecting the special flavors of the producing region, while natural processing adds sweet aromas and fermentation notes on top of this basic flavor. Because of the introduction of the washing method, Yirgacheffe became a representative of world specialty coffee. After the 1970s, this region was dominated by washed processing, becoming Ethiopia's most popular washed bean producing region. However, in the 21st century, natural processing technology has gradually improved, frequently introducing astonishing natural beans. This is thanks to Yirgacheffe's coffee trader Baghs, who, missing the flavor of traditional natural beans and unwilling to see natural processing gradually replaced by washed processing, improved the natural bean processing method, enhancing flavor and reducing defect rates, introducing three extremely famous Yirgacheffe natural beans: Idido Misty Valley, Beloya, and Aricha.

The "Horse Queen" coffee from Sidamo region is typically dried on African raised beds, with limited fruit layer thickness and continuous turning every 24 hours. The Buku Abel estate benefits from a unique natural environment for low-temperature fermentation. During the harvest and processing season (December-January), its unique growing environment and natural climate create the distinctive flavor of Horse Queen. Coffee farmers only begin natural processing when the sugar content of the harvested red cherries reaches above 30. In the first two days of natural processing, the moisture of the red cherries must be maintained to allow their fructose to fully begin fermentation. At the same time, the high-altitude geographical location allows the night temperature at the processing station to drop to about 12 degrees Celsius, preventing over-fermentation odors due to excessive temperatures. When the temperature is higher at noon, timely shading is provided to prevent sunburn on the red cherries. The natural processed Horse Queen has rich and enchanting floral aromas, mellow red wine and tropical fruit flavors, and bright juice-like acidity.

Kenyan coffee's success is also attributed to the use of the K72 processing method, which is an extension of the regular washing method, making a noticeable difference in coffee bean quality. Some people like intense acidity, while others don't. The natural processing method is called the natural processing method, which means picking the beans directly, using the sun to dry them before separating the beans. This is of course a very labor-saving processing method, but it inevitably produces some defective beans during the natural drying process (possibly due to insufficient or excessive drying, so constant manual turning of coffee beans is required). The biggest difference in the washing method is that it's not labor-saving after picking - the fruit pulp is directly removed before drying. This means investment in machinery and equipment, which of course results in higher quality coffee beans. The Kenya 72-hour processing method is also abbreviated as K72. Coffee cherries are harvested when they reach a sugar content of 21, with optimal fruits selected for pulping, then soaked in a fermentation tank for 24 hours. Clean river water is used in the tank. After 24 hours, they are washed clean, then soaked in clean river water for another 24 hours of fermentation, then washed again, then fermented again - repeated 3 times, with total fermentation time reaching 72 hours. Regular washing fermentation time is at most 36 hours. This repetitive processing method of washing after fermentation gives Kenyan coffee beans intense acidity and delicate texture. The time required for the fermentation process is related to many factors - the hotter the environment, the faster the fermentation. However, after a period of fermentation, the washing process removes most of the mucilage, then the beans are placed in a lower clean water pool for secondary fermentation. It's worth noting that during fermentation, water needs to be replaced every few hours to prevent the coffee beans from becoming smelly.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

The most signature flavor of Yirgacheffe coffee is its delicate acidity and rich floral and fruit aromas. To maximize this flavor, FrontStreet Coffee believes that light roasting is most suitable. Whether natural or washed processed Yirgacheffe coffee beans, light roasting can maximize their special flavors. However, there are also medium to dark roasted Yirgacheffe coffees on the market today, which slightly weaken its acidity in taste while enhancing its body. It depends on personal preference, but light roasted Yirgacheffe coffee remains mainstream.

When FrontStreet Coffee roasts Kenyan coffee beans, considering the need to highlight its bright acidity and tomato juice-like mouthfeel, light roasting is used.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Reports

Washed Guji Uraga

Dry aroma: Citrus

Wet aroma: Berries, citrus

Entry: Citrus, berries, honey, tea notes

Natural Guji Uraga

Dry aroma: Citrus, berries

Wet aroma: Blueberry, mango

Flavor: Citrus, berries, raisins, tropical fruits

Kenyan Coffee

Dry aroma: Cherry tomatoes

Wet aroma: Cherry tomatoes, berries

Entry: Cherry tomato juice, berries, plums, smoked plums

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing

FrontStreet Coffee considers that Ethiopian beans are lightly roasted, so higher water temperature and faster flow rate drippers are used. This is mainly because high temperature is needed to extract their bright acidity, but to avoid over-extraction due to high temperatures, the faster flow rate V60 dripper and 90-91°C water temperature are chosen for brewing.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Dripper: HARIO V60

Water temperature: 90-91°C

Grind size: BG#6m (fine sugar size)

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

FrontStreet Coffee brewing method: First, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95g more (scale shows about 125g), finishing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows about 225g), finishing in about 1 minute and 40 seconds. Complete drip filtration between 1'55"~2'00", remove the dripper, and complete extraction.

Brewing Flavors

[Washed Buku Abel] Brewing flavor: Entry shows citrus, black tea, with cream, caramel, and almond notes as temperature changes, with obvious sweet aftertaste and clean, sweet mouthfeel.

[Natural Horse Queen 4.0] Brewing flavor: Citrus fruits, ripe fruits, sweetness of blueberries and raisins, and tropical fruit acidity similar to mango.

[Washed Asalia] Brewing flavor: Obvious smoked plums, cherry tomatoes, honey, with slight nuttiness when cooled, juice-like mouthfeel, and bright acidity.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473