What Coffee is Best Made with Kenya Coffee Beans - Introduction to Flavor Characteristics of Kenya Pour-Over Coffee

Kenya may be the favorite coffee origin for many acidity coffee lovers. FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya coffee beans have a complex and full-bodied juice-like quality, with flavors similar to dark plums, berries, and blackberries, among other dark fruit flavors. They can be brewed not only as pour-over but are also suitable for various extraction methods like cold brew, moka pot, French press, and coffee machines. A good Kenya coffee is vibrant yet clean and refreshing, with pleasant acidity and sweetness. The FrontStreet Coffee Kenya coffee beans offered by FrontStreet Coffee come from the Thika region, processed using the Kenyan 72-hour washed method, with SL28 and SL34 varieties, making them a top choice for many acidity coffee lovers.

Unique Flavor Profile

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya coffee is renowned for its rich fruit aroma, mellow acidity, and berry-like sweet and sour profile. FrontStreet Coffee believes these flavor advantages stem from the high-quality varieties adopted by local growers, the growing terroir, and the post-processing methods.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

The main varieties of Kenyan coffee include SL28, SL34, K7, Ruiru11, and Batian, with SL28 and SL34 accounting for 90% of the total production of high-quality Kenyan coffee beans. SL refers to Kenya's Scott Laboratories. In the 1930s, Kenyan coffee trees suffered a widespread outbreak of coffee berry disease, so Scott Laboratories was commissioned by the government to cultivate disease-resistant new varieties. Among the research results, varieties number 28 and 34 showed stronger disease resistance and outstanding flavors. Thus, farmers began widely planting these two varieties. The SL series belongs to the Bourbon family of coffee trees and exhibits excellent acidity in the Kenyan growing regions.

Growing Conditions

Most Kenyan coffee grows at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,000 meters, with temperatures between 15 and 24 degrees Celsius, in deep and well-drained red volcanic soil. The average annual rainfall is stable and concentrated. The main coffee tree growing areas are located in the highland regions around Mount Kenya. The central region has fertile volcanic soil, appropriate sunlight and rainfall, which is very conducive to producing high-quality Arabica coffee in Kenya. Among these, coffee beans from the Thika region have a rounded acidity, with a grapefruit-like mouthfeel.

Kenyan 72-Hour Washed Processing

The Kenyan 72-hour washed method, abbreviated as K72 processing, requires coffee cherries to be harvested at optimal ripeness with a sugar content of 21. The finest fruits are selected for pulping, then soaked in fermentation tanks for 24 hours using clean river water. After 24 hours, they are washed clean, then soaked again in clean river water for another 24 hours of fermentation, then washed again, and fermented once more. This process is repeated three times, reaching a total fermentation time of 72 hours. Regular washed fermentation typically lasts at most 36 hours. This repeated post-fermentation washing process gives FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya coffee beans intense acidity and a delicate texture. Finally, remaining pectin is removed, and the coffee beans are moved to raised frames for sun-drying, which takes about 5-10 days depending on weather conditions.

Kenyan Coffee Grading

Considering that coffee beans of similar size roast more consistently in terms of heating temperature and warming rate during the roasting process, meaning greater stability, Kenya grades green coffee beans based on bean size and cupping scores. According to the size, shape, and hardness of green coffee beans, they can be classified as AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T, with AA being the highest grade. Kenyan AA coffee beans are considered among the world's finest specialty coffees, typically grown at altitudes above 2,000 meters. Their coffee liquid is light-bodied and emits rich floral and fruit aromas, loved by coffee enthusiasts worldwide.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Selection

This FrontStreet Coffee Kenya coffee acquired by FrontStreet Coffee features flavors of black berries and stone fruits. To preserve more fruit aroma, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters chose a light roast. Through cupping comparisons, FrontStreet Coffee found that the dry aroma presents notes of cherry tomatoes, smoked plums, and caramel. Upon tasting, dark stone fruits like plums, apricots, and peaches emerge, with saturated acidity.

Brewing Recommendations

For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee prefers to use pour-over to better appreciate the full acidity of FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya coffee. Given that this FrontStreet Coffee Kenya is medium-light roasted and grown in high-altitude regions with a harder texture, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas will use a finer grind size and higher temperature hot water for extraction. Here, using a Chinese #20 standard sieve, the pass-through rate is 78%. Using a V60 dripper makes the flavor layers more distinct.

Using a three-stage extraction method: pour the ground coffee into the filter paper, start pouring 30g of water from the center for a 30-second bloom. Pay attention to using a small, steady water flow throughout, circling from inside to out. In the second stage, pour 95g of water, and when the coffee liquid has almost finished dripping, begin the third stage by pouring 100g, until all the coffee has filtered through, then remove the dripper. The time should be around 2 minutes, with about 10 seconds margin before or after.

Tasting Notes and Versatility

This FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Assalia coffee offers acidity of black plums and smoked plums, among other dark fruits. At medium temperature, it presents the thick sweet and sour taste of apricots and stone fruits, with a rounded red tea aftertaste. Besides pour-over, many friends also ask FrontStreet Coffee whether the aromatic FrontStreet Coffee Kenya coffee can be used to make moka pot coffee. The answer is of course yes, but to achieve delicious flavors, some details still need attention. Let FrontStreet Coffee explain them one by one.

Moka Pot Brewing Method

Equipment and Preparation

Before brewing coffee, we need to prepare fresh coffee beans, water, a grinder, a heating gas stove (or induction cooker), and our main character—the moka pot. Since the moka pot uses pressure extraction, the grind size is generally much finer than pour-over, but slightly coarser than espresso grind. If the coffee grounds are too coarse, the contact between water and coffee grounds will be uneven, leading to insufficient extraction and poor taste. It might also cause the liquid to gush out due to insufficient resistance, creating the danger of splattering and burns. If ground too fine, it increases the resistance for liquid to flow upward, and the coffee liquid cannot be released. As the pressure in the lower chamber becomes too high and cannot be relieved in time, there's a risk of explosion.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends a grind size of EK-43s #3-3.5 setting. If we find it difficult to determine whether the grind size is appropriate, we can observe the gap size of the moka pot's coffee basket, ensuring that coffee particles cannot pass through the gap. You can also refer to the grind size used here by FrontStreet Coffee.

Brewing Process

First, remove the base of the moka pot and add pure warm water to the lower chamber, which can shorten the brewing time while avoiding the coffee grounds heating too quickly, which can easily make the flavor burnt and bitter. Control the water level to about 0.5cm below the pressure relief valve line. The safety valve prevents coffee pot explosions caused by extraction channel blockage due to coffee grounds being ground too fine. If the safety valve is submerged in water and the extraction channel is blocked, the consequences of a high-temperature coffee pot explosion would be unimaginable.

To extract rich black coffee, the grind size needs to be much finer than regular pour-over. FrontStreet Coffee's stores use an EK-43s grinder set at 0.5 fineness. The amount of coffee powder depends on the size of the moka pot. FrontStreet Coffee here uses a three-cup Bialetti classic pot, with 18g of coffee powder.

Pour the ground coffee into the filter basket, filling it to nine-tenths full. Level it with your fingers and place it in the base. No need to press down firmly, as an overly compact coffee layer can easily block water flow upward, thus affecting extraction.

Next, screw the upper and lower chambers together tightly. Wipe the pot body dry with a towel and place it on a gas stove or induction cooker for heating. When using open flame, try to control the flame so it doesn't exceed the base range of the moka pot.

Just wait for the moka pot to heat up. When you hear a hissing sound, turn to low heat. Coffee liquid and crema will slowly flow out. When you see the upper pot half-filled with coffee liquid, you can turn off the heat source and move the pot to the table, using the residual heat and pressure inside to continue extracting the remaining coffee liquid.

Pour the extracted coffee liquid into a cup and enjoy it directly. The first sip reveals rich berries, snow pears, and the sweet and sour taste of smoked plum juice, with some hints of roasted nuts and caramel aroma. When mixed with a certain proportion of hot water, it presents fresh fruit acidity and sweetness. When paired with milk, it offers the sweetness of cream chocolate.

Maintenance

Finally, regarding the storage and maintenance of equipment, FrontStreet Coffee cleans the moka pot promptly after each use to avoid coffee residue stains, which can easily cause flavor mixing and bitterness. Old coffee stains left on the filter plate, gasket, or extraction channels may cause blockages and affect normal extraction.

Contact Information

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee, WeChat ID: 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