Why is Kenyan Coffee Becoming More Expensive with Less Flavor Than Before? Brewing Masai AA Kenyan Coffee Beans

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Kenya Coffee Production Region Information

Kenyan government officials stated on December 8, 2020, that Kenya's coffee production in 2020 is expected to decrease by 4,000 tons to 40,000 tons compared to 2019. This production reduction will not affect Kenya's coffee exports in 2021. Hamadi Boga, Principal Secretary of the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, stated that the reduction in planting area and decline in productivity are the main reasons for the production decrease.

Why is Kenya experiencing a decline in planting area?

In Kenya, small-scale estate coffee farmers often deliver fresh coffee cherries to cooperatives, which then process and sell them to domestic and international markets. However, the complexity of cooperatives' business processes leads to delayed payments to farmers, which hinders their production investment and reduces productivity. At the same time, it was found that some farmers convert coffee planting land for house construction, naturally reducing the planting area.

Why is Kenyan coffee becoming more expensive while its flavor is not as good as before?

Given the current reduction in Kenyan coffee planting and the coffee market trends, Kenyan coffee beans will become increasingly scarce, and coffee quality cannot be guaranteed. This has created the main reason why Kenyan coffee appears less frequently in the market today and commands high prices. FrontStreet Coffee has been continuously acquiring different Kenyan coffee beans for cupping since last year, hoping to find a high-quality, cost-effective Kenyan coffee bean to share with everyone. However, besides the listed Kenya Assalia coffee beans, there hasn't yet been a new bean that makes FrontStreet Coffee's baristas raise their approval cards during cupping. FrontStreet Coffee's process for listing each coffee bean may seem simple, but there's one key point: not every coffee bean can achieve the regional flavor characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee — Maasai AA Coffee Beans

Region: Kenya, Nyeri

Variety: SL28 & SL34

Processing: Washed

Altitude: 1600-2100m

Grade: AA

Nyeri Coffee Production Region

Nyeri, Kenya's most famous coffee production region, is located in central-west Kenya, surrounded by Mount Kenya and Mount Aberdare. From the Laikipia plains, one can look up at the majesty of the snow-capped mountains. Situated among mountains, the eastern end of the East African Rift Valley stretches through here, and melting snow from the mountains brings pure, cool water sources. These favorable natural conditions not only provide habitat for numerous wildlife species but also nurture the unique flavor of Kenyan coffee.

Agricultural cultivation is an important economic industry in the Nyeri region, and the thick red volcanic soil is very suitable for growing tea and coffee. This area mainly cultivates two well-known varieties: SL28 and SL34. Through cupping coffee beans from this region, FrontStreet Coffee found that their coffee flavor exhibits full, juicy sweet and sour notes, blackcurrant acidity, and dark plum aftertaste—very classic "Kenyan impressions."

Why is this coffee bean called "Maasai"?

This coffee bean acquired by FrontStreet Coffee is grown near Mount Aberdare. The coffee bags produced here feature the image pattern of the nomadic Maasai people, and the coffee bean's name originates from this.

This Kenyan Maasai coffee bean, with its blackcurrant and dark plum-like high acidity and full body, brings a "primitive" feeling to everyone's palate, just like the Maasai people.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

SL28 & SL34

In 1930, the unique Kenyan varieties SL28 and SL34 were cultivated and named by Scott Laboratories.

SL28 was selected as a single variety from the drought-resistant population of Tanganyika varieties in 1935. The SL28 variety is suitable for medium to high altitude areas and has drought resistance, but is sensitive to major coffee diseases. SL28 beans resemble the Bourbon variety, being round and thick, and recent genetic testing has also confirmed that SL28 belongs to the Bourbon genetic group.

SL34 was initially selected at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya in the late 1930s. SL34 was selected from a tree on the Kabete Loresho estate in Kenya, and this tree was called "French Mission." SL34 beans resemble the Typica variety. FrontStreet Coffee screens beans from Kenyan batches that resemble Typica beans, with elongated, oval-shaped bodies that appear relatively flat from the side. Recent genetic testing indicates that SL34 is related to the Typica genome.

Washed Processing Method

This Kenyan coffee bean acquired by FrontStreet Coffee does not use the Kenyan 72-hour washed processing but instead uses the most traditional washed processing method. First, the skin and pulp are removed, allowing fermentation for 12-18 hours. Then, the fermented beans are placed in a pool and moved back and forth, using the friction of the beans and the power of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until they are smooth and clean. After washing, the coffee beans are still encased in parchment with a moisture content of 50%, so they need to be sun-dried to reduce the moisture content to 12-14%.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Records

FrontStreet Coffee's roaster uses a Yangjia 800N semi-direct flame machine with a batch size of 480g: Heat the drum to 170°C, add beans, open the air damper to 3, and set the heat to 120. Return point: 1'36". When the temperature rises to 112°C, open the air damper to 4. Roast until 5'50", temperature reaches 151.3°C, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete.

When ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly turns to coffee aroma, this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'50" first crack begins, air damper unchanged, heat reduced to 100, first crack development time 2'00", finish at 192°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

Dry Aroma: Dark plum

Wet Aroma: Blackcurrant

Flavor: White tea, brown sugar, dark plum, blackcurrant

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Experience

FrontStreet Coffee noticed that Kenyan coffee beans are very prone to over-extraction, so the grind size should be between medium-fine and medium-coarse (77% retention through a #20 sieve screen), and the powder-to-water ratio for brewing should also be slightly increased.

Dripper: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:16

Grind Size: BG#6S (77% retention through a #20 sieve screen)

FrontStreet Coffee 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 in small circular motions to 130g for分段. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 240g and stop. Wait for the water level to drop and is about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the dripper (timing starts from the beginning of bloom). Extraction time is 2'02".

Brewing Flavor: The entry is rich blackcurrant juice, dark plum acidity, and brown sugar sweetness all emerge simultaneously. A few seconds later, everything "retreats," leaving only a white tea-like clean feeling. It's like a group of Maasai people running through your mouth, then realizing they're in the wrong place and all retreating, leaving behind a grassland with traces of their passage.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private 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