Kenya | Introduction to Kirinyaga Coffee Processing Station Region

African Coffee

African coffee enjoys considerable recognition in the global coffee market, as the African nation of Ethiopia is universally acknowledged as the birthplace of coffee. Additionally, there are many other outstanding coffee-producing countries, such as Kenya, Ethiopia's neighboring country.

Kenya

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, traversed centrally by the equator, and bordered by Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The country is predominantly characterized by highlands with an average elevation of 1,500 meters, while only the coastal regions consist of plains. The eastern branch of the East African Rift Valley runs longitudinally through the highlands, dividing them into eastern and western parts. The territory contains numerous lakes and stands many volcanoes, among which the dormant volcano Mount Kenya in the central highlands reaches an impressive altitude of 5,199 meters, making it Africa's second-highest peak.

Kenya is situated in the tropical monsoon zone, with most regions experiencing a tropical savanna climate. The coastal areas are relatively humid and hot, while the highland climate remains temperate. The rainy seasons span from March to June and from October to December, with annual temperatures ranging between 12-24°C. Annual precipitation decreases from southwest to northeast, ranging from 1,500 millimeters to 200 millimeters. The combination of high-altitude mountain regions, volcanic soil, abundant sunlight, and appropriate rainfall makes the country's agriculture and tourism sectors relatively developed.

Coffee Growing Regions

Kenya has numerous coffee-growing regions, concentrated primarily in the southwestern and central parts of the country. There are 14 main regions: Bungoma, Embu, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Machakos, Meru, Mt. Elgon, Murang'a, Nakuru, Nyeri, Thika, Taita Taveta, and Trans-Nzoia. Among these, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Kiambu, and Thika are the most renowned.

Kirinyaga Region

This region is also translated as "Kirinyaga," meaning "white mountain" in the local language, with elevations ranging from 1,300 to 1,900 meters. The region is located in central Kenya, near the high-altitude Mount Kenya, and boasts fertile volcanic soil, abundant rainfall, and a cool climate. It is globally renowned for producing coffee with intense flavors, rich complexity, and substantial body. Together with the Nyeri region, Kirinyaga is widely recognized as one of Kenya's two most outstanding coffee-producing areas.

Most producers in this region are small-scale coffee farmers who have joined cooperatives. The cooperatives provide wet processing facilities, where coffee farmers deliver their coffee cherries for processing.

DORMANS Company

DORMANS is a highly renowned exporter of Kenyan specialty coffee and one of Kenya's largest coffee traders. DORMANS is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. The company is involved in various aspects of the coffee business, including green bean processing, roasted coffee production, and international trade. Their business scope covers multiple coffee-growing regions in Kenya and Tanzanian coffee beans, with factories, warehouses, and processing facilities established in both Kenya and Tanzania.

DORMANS is famous for its excellent quality management. At the company's headquarters, approximately 1,500 cups of coffee are professionally cupped and evaluated weekly by a specialized team to select high-quality coffee.

Kenyan Coffee Grading

Information about Kenyan coffee beans often includes annotations such as "AA, AB, FAQ," and similar designations. These actually represent Kenya's uniform grading system used for both domestic sales and exports. The grading system uses coffee bean size and quality as indicators, with clear specifications divided into AA+, AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T. This strict grading system ensures coffee bean quality.

Additionally, Kenyan export and green bean merchants apply cupping result grading (not officially national) to AA and AB grade green coffee beans, sequentially ranked as TOP, PLUS (+), and FAQ. They use acidity, body, and flavor as criteria to score coffee beans based on both green and roasted cupping evaluations, with each category receiving 1-3 points. For example, a score of 1-1-1 would indicate TOP grade.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee has purchased washed coffee beans from Kenya's Kirinyaga region, processed by the DORMANS facility, and has conducted cupping evaluations. The aroma reveals notes of blackberry and dried plum, while the flavor profile includes berries, cherry tomatoes, and citrus, with a mouthfeel reminiscent of green tea.

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