Why Is Coffee from Kenya's Growing Regions So Acidic? And Why Do So Many People Love It?

Coffee from each growing region carries its own unique flavor characteristics, but often, these characteristics share similar qualities. When mentioning citrus and white floral notes, people might not immediately think of coffee from Panama—it could also be from Ethiopia. When it comes to sweet orange flavor, people might simultaneously associate it with both Guatemala and Costa Rica growing regions. When discussing nut and chocolate notes, there are options like Brazil and Indonesia. However, when mentioning plum and cherry tomato notes, everyone will inevitably think of Kenya first!

It can be said that Kenya's characteristic flavors are truly unique: famously acidic! Although acidic, nobody dislikes it (triple rhyme!). This is because while its acidity is strong, it's also mellow, and it's not just acidity—the aroma is exceptionally rich. People have a unified understanding of Kenyan coffee's characteristics: rich plum aroma, the sweet-tart sensation of cherry tomatoes, and the clean sweetness of sugarcane!

What Makes Kenyan Coffee Exceptional

If acidity were to be the standard for judging coffee quality, then Kenyan coffee would definitely be an A+ student! Behind this unique flavor lies a close relationship with Kenya's altitude, geology, latitude, processing methods, and varieties. Without any one of these factors, Kenyan coffee would be difficult to reach the heights described today!

Altitude, Geology, and Latitude

Kenya happens to be located within the "World Coffee Golden Growing Belt," making it a tropical growing region. Kenya's coffee beans are primarily cultivated in volcanic areas at altitudes of 1,600-2,100 meters around the capital Nairobi to the Kenyan highlands!

Its volcanic soil contains extremely rich phosphoric acid, which not only aids in better coffee growth but also imparts a brighter, more uplifting lively acidity! It can be said that part of Kenyan coffee's acidity is attributed to this phosphorus-rich volcanic soil!

Varieties

Next are the varieties! Good soil alone isn't enough. Kenya successively introduced Bourbon from Bourbon Island and Typica from Blue Mountain—sounds impressive, but unfortunately, they are not the "creators" of the famous flavors mentioned above. The true creators of Kenyan legend are the SL28 and SL34 varieties from Scott Laboratories.

To obtain better coffee varieties, Scott Laboratories searched for forty-two different varieties and conducted more than a decade of cultivation. Then, among these forty-two varieties, SL28 and SL34 stood out, becoming the powerful players that would later carry the banner of Kenyan coffee. SL is the abbreviation for Scott Laboratory, while 28 and 34 are the batch numbers of the varieties in the experiment. From their appearance, we can easily distinguish them—SL28 beans are more rounded, while SL34 beans are longer and elliptical in shape. After expert analysis and research, it was discovered that one is a Bourbon variant and the other is a Typica variant.

Kenya's Characteristic Washing Process

Beans that undergo washing processing typically have relatively bright acidity because the wet fermentation during processing is semi-aerobic fermentation, and semi-aerobic fermentation causes the sugars in coffee beans to break down, producing more organic acids. Therefore, washed processed beans taste more acidic! Generally, fermentation time does not exceed 36 hours! However, Kenya differs from neighboring countries—its coffee washing fermentation time is a full 72 hours!

But this is not completed in one continuous soaking fermentation; instead, it's divided into three rounds of 24 hours each. After each round of fermentation, fresh clean water is replaced for re-soaking until the full 72 hours of fermentation is completed before sending the coffee beans to the next step! Therefore, this unique washing process is called the Kenyan 72-hour fermented wash, abbreviated as K72. Precisely because of having double or more fermentation time than others, Kenyan beans have more abundant acidity! It's worth mentioning that the drying process during treatment is also very particular! Kenyan coffee farmers do not casually spread coffee beans on any flat surface for drying, as this can easily breed "wild" flavors.

They place the beans on specially made steel plates for drying. The steel plates are suspended above ground, keeping the coffee beans away from easily absorbing dust and ash from the ground. The steel plates have evenly spaced holes of the same size, which allow the beans to dry more evenly and provide ventilation during the drying process. With fewer unstable factors affecting it, Kenyan coffee achieves a cleaner tasting experience, and these specially designed steel plates are also known as "Kenyan steel beds."

So, this is why it's said that the excellent acidity of Kenyan coffee depends on every detail. And precisely because of its rich, mellow fruity acidity, beans from the Kenyan growing region were once more popular than Geisha in light roast coffees. Excellent, writing this makes my mouth water—FrontStreet Coffee is now going to open a bean jar and brew a pot to drink~

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