Kenya Kirinyaga Kaguyu Coffee Bean from Kirinyaga Region - How to Drink Kenyan Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee — Kenya Kaguyu AA Coffee Beans

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Origin: Kaguyu Processing Station, Kirinyaga, Kenya

Grade: AA (coffee bean size between 17-18 screen)

Variety: SL28&SL34

Processing: K72 Washed

Altitude: 1400m

Harvest Season: 2020

Kirinyaga Region

The Kirinyaga region is situated on the slopes of Mount Kenya at an altitude of 1300-1900 meters. Adjacent to the Nyeri region, it is renowned worldwide for producing coffee with intense flavors, rich layers, and a solid mouthfeel. Together with Nyeri, it is recognized as one of Kenya's two finest coffee-producing regions. Kirinyaga has two harvest periods: October to December (main season) and June to August (secondary season).

Most producers in this region are small-scale coffee farmers who have joined cooperatives. The cooperatives play an integrative role by providing washing stations where coffee farmers send their coffee cherries for processing. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee found that coffee from this region features bright fruit acidity with moderate body and delicate sweetness.

Kaguyu Processing Station

The Kaguyu Processing Station is located on the western side of Kirinyaga in southern Kenya. This processing station is operated by the NOI farmers' cooperative, where coffee farmers send their harvested coffee cherries for uniform washing processing.

With the help and support of their partner — Coffee Management Services (CMS) — the Kaguyu Processing Station's long-term goal is to increase production through farmer training, increased investment, agricultural knowledge education, and providing new materials related to sustainable agricultural development. By increasing coffee farmers' income and encouraging farmers, they gradually achieve their goals. Establishing transparent and trust-based cooperative relationships with small farmers helps support the sustainable growth of Kenya's entire coffee industry and continuously improves the production standards of Kenyan premium coffee.

72-Hour Fermentation Washing

K72

Most Kenyan washed coffees undergo Kenya's unique K72 washing process: fully ripe coffee cherries are first washed, then pulped and dry-fermented for 24 hours before washing again. This is followed by another 24-hour fermentation and washing, then another 24-hour dry fermentation. This cyclical fermentation process achieves a 72-hour strong fermentation effect.

After the final fermentation and washing, the beans are soaked in clean water tanks overnight. The next morning, they begin high-shelf sun-drying operations on the drying grounds to avoid contamination with earth and other off-flavors. Because the fermentation time lasts up to 72 hours, it is called Kenya 72-hour fermentation washing, abbreviated as K72.

Coffee Varieties

SL28&SL34

SL-28 and SL-34 are two of the 40 varieties developed from a research program led by Guy Gibson at Scott Laboratories. The laboratory cultivated and named these varieties in the 1930s.

According to SL Laboratory botanists, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. They constitute the vast majority of Kenya's high-quality coffee production, though these varieties are susceptible to leaf rust disease. Through separate cupping of the two varieties, FrontStreet Coffee found that SL34 has similar flavors to SL28, but in addition to complex and varied acidity and wonderful sweet finish, it has a heavier, richer body than SL28 and is cleaner.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roaster uses a Yangjia 800N semi-direct heat roaster with a batch size of 480g: set the drum temperature to 165°C when loading beans, with damper at 3 and heat at 120. Return point: 1'28". When temperature rises to 140°C, open damper to 4. At 6'10", temperature reaches 154.3°C, damper opened to 5, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration is complete.

When ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface and the toasted bread smell clearly transforms to coffee aroma, this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'45" first crack begins, damper unchanged, heat reduced from 188°C to 90. First crack development time is 1'40", ending at 193°C when beans are discharged.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas typically use 200ml ceramic cupping bowls. The water temperature used for cupping is 94°C. Grind size is controlled to 70%-75% pass-through through a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm). Ratio: 11g of coffee grounds to 200ml of hot water, i.e., 1:18.18, which extracts concentration exactly within the 1.15%-1.35% Gold Cup range, with a steeping time of 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Berries

Wet Aroma: Dark plum

Flavor: Dark plum, nectarine, honey, green grapes

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Experience

Dripper: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:16

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind/BG#6S (77% pass-through through #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing method: First wet the filter paper and preheat the dripper and coffee pot. Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour with a small circular stream to 130g and pause. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 240g and stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). Extraction time is 2'01".

Brewing Flavor: The front section has dark plum acidity, the middle section features nectarine and green grapes, with a honey-like aftertaste.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473