What Are the Characteristics of World-Class Kenyan Coffee? What Tier Does Kenyan Coffee Belong To? Why Does Kenyan Coffee Have Tomato Notes? How Should You Brew Kenyan Coffee?

Why FrontStreet Coffee Loves Kenya Coffee

To be honest, FrontStreet Coffee absolutely loves Kenya coffee. If you're a regular at FrontStreet Coffee's stores, you've likely noticed that Kenya has an exceptionally high presence among the numerous samples we share.

As for why we love it so much, FrontStreet Coffee believes we share this sentiment with many enthusiasts. Kenya coffee boasts a rich, bright acidity, high sweetness reminiscent of sugarcane, and distinctive flavors of prominent cherry tomatoes and dark plums, making it exceptionally recognizable.

The Exceptional Quality of Kenya Coffee

In his book "Specialty Coffee Studies," Mr. Han Huaizong also praised Kenya coffee highly: "If cupped alongside non-Geisha varieties from other producing regions, this coffee with its rich flavor profile would easily make other origins pale in comparison." This demonstrates that the deliciousness of Kenya coffee is no mere exaggeration. However, many friends have expressed that despite purchasing Kenya coffee, they cannot achieve the delicious flavor described by others. Either the cherry tomato flavor isn't distinct enough, or the mouthfeel lacks fullness—in short, something's missing...

In such cases, besides improper brewing, it could also be due to not selecting the right coffee beans, as not all coffee produced in Kenya possesses the aforementioned delicious qualities. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will share what makes Kenya coffee truly characteristic of Kenya, and how we can extract these characteristics through brewing!

Terroir and Variety

First, we need to understand that 30% of coffee flavor formation is influenced by the growing environment. One of the factors contributing to Kenya coffee's rich acidity stems from Kenya's unique terroir. Located in East Africa, Kenya borders famous coffee-producing regions such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Although on the same continent, different topographical, climatic, and soil environmental factors create significant differences in coffee flavors.

Kenya has a tropical climate, located in low-latitude regions with two concentrated rainy seasons annually, while the rest are dry seasons. Due to its higher elevation, most areas have a tropical savanna climate, while coastal regions tend to be more humid and hot. Kenya coffee is primarily grown on volcanic land at altitudes of 1,600-2,100 meters. The phosphate-rich volcanic soil is one reason why Kenya coffee's acidity is particularly bright. Additionally, high altitude increases the temperature difference between day and night, which slows coffee growth, allowing it to generate and accumulate more sugars, resulting in fuller aroma and mouthfeel.

Legendary Varieties: SL28 and SL34

In the 1930s, the Kenyan government commissioned Scott Laboratories to conduct coffee breeding research to find coffee varieties that could adapt to Kenya's terroir, be cultivated on a large scale, and possess commercial value. After more than a decade of research and selection, they successfully obtained a series of coffee varieties with excellent flavor profiles. Among these, SL28 and SL34 are the legendary creators of Kenya coffee's distinctive cherry tomato and dark plum acidic aroma.

Before SL28 and SL34 were released, Kenya had introduced Bourbon, Kents, and Jamaica's Blue Mountain Typica varieties. After SL28 and SL34, newer generations like Ruiru 11 and Batiian emerged. Although these all have good flavor profiles, none possess the distinctive and balanced acidic aroma of SL28 and SL34. The "SL" prefix in SL28 and SL34 is an abbreviation for Scott Laboratories, while 28 and 34 were their experimental numbers. SL28 is a Bourbon variant, and SL34 is a Typica variant. Without exception, they both feature the distinctive acidic aroma of dark plums and cherry tomatoes.

Unique Processing Methods

What sets these two varieties apart from others is that beyond their rich aroma and prominent acidity, they also possess abundant sweetness. It is precisely this sweetness that enhances the quality of the acidity, making it more appealing while providing richer layers. If you're interested in these varieties, feel free to check out FrontStreet Coffee's article "Kenya's Star Varieties" for more information, so we won't elaborate further here. Besides the influence of varieties and origin, Kenya coffee's exceptional performance is also inseparable from local unique processing methods. The most commonly used processing method for Kenya coffee is washed processing, but unlike washed processing in other origins, Kenya's washed method involves a longer soaking and fermentation time.

The conventional washed processing involves pulping the floated coffee cherries, then soaking the parchment coffee with mucilage in water tanks for fermentation to remove the mucilage. Soaking time is typically around 24 hours, not exceeding 36 hours. After soaking, coffee beans are moved to clean water tanks where manual stirring removes any remaining mucilage. Subsequently, the beans are sent to drying fields for sun-drying until reaching a certain moisture content, after which machines remove the parchment layer for packaging and export. The difference between Kenya's washed processing and conventional methods lies in the much longer soaking time. Initially, because processing stations didn't have sufficient space to dry coffee beans, some beans that had completed mucilage removal but couldn't be dried immediately would be re-soaked in water tanks until space became available in the drying fields. Unexpectedly, this approach resulted in cleaner and more outstanding flavor profiles. Thus, this distinctive washed processing method was preserved and continues to be used today.

Kenya's washed processing is also known as "K72" or "Kenyan 72-Hour Wash," meaning the washed fermentation time can reach up to 72 hours. Depending on the region, processing methods and times vary. A common approach is repeating the washing and soaking steps three times, with each soak lasting 24 hours. After thorough cleaning, the process repeats until reaching 72 hours. The remaining steps are similar to conventional washed processing—after completion, beans are sent to drying fields until reaching the specified moisture content before preparing for export. In summary, if we want to experience the stunning Kenya characteristics from Kenya coffee, when selecting coffee beans, we should look for washed-processed beans of SL28 and SL34 varieties, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya · Cherry Tomato, which FrontStreet Coffee selected as the best representative after cupping countless Kenya coffee beans. "Also one of today's flash sale coffee beans."

Featured Coffee: Kenya Asalia

FrontStreet Coffee: Kenya Asalia
Region: Thika
Processing Station: Asalia Processing Station
Altitude: 1,550-1,750 meters
Varieties: SL28, SL34
Processing Method: Washed
Flavor Notes: Dark plum, cherry tomato, brown sugar, black plum

Brewing Recommendations

To better highlight the acidity of cherry tomatoes and dark plums while ensuring sufficient sweetness, FrontStreet Coffee chose a medium-light roast profile for this Kenya Cherry Tomato. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share how to brew this Kenya Cherry Tomato to extract its optimal flavors.

Brewing Parameters:
Coffee Dose: 15g
Grind Size: 9.5 on Ek43, with 75% pass-through rate on #20 sieve
Grind Consistency: Fine sugar-like
Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15
Water Temperature: 92°C
Brewing Method: Three-pour technique
Brewer: V60

To better extract the flavors from the coffee, the first step in brewing remains the bloom, aimed at releasing carbon dioxide stored in the coffee. Here, we use twice the coffee weight in water (30ml) for a 30-second bloom.

After the bloom ends, we can begin the second pour! Since this FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato isn't roasted too lightly, we can easily raise the coffee bed. Raising the coffee bed creates richer layers in the coffee, so when pouring the second segment of water, we can slightly increase the flow rate, using a moderate water stream to pour in large circles. This pour uses 120ml of water and takes approximately 30 seconds. After completing the pour, wait for the water to finish dripping, then begin the third pour. At this point, the time should be around 1 minute and 20 seconds. (If the flow rate is faster, the third pour will require a smaller water stream.)

The third pour follows the same approach as usual brewing—using a small water stream in small circles. This pour uses 75ml of water and takes approximately 20 seconds. Once the water is poured, we simply wait for the coffee to finish dripping, then remove the brewer to end extraction, with a total time of 2 minutes.

Tasting Experience

Even before tasting, we can perceive the distinct cherry tomato and dark plum aroma from the wet fragrance. Upon tasting, it's like biting into a juicy cherry tomato—a rich, rounded acidity with cherry tomato flavor blossoms in the mouth. Due to the abundant sweetness, this acidity isn't sharp. Additionally, we detect flavors of dark plum, plum, and brown sugar. As the temperature slightly decreases, berry-like sweet and sour flavors emerge. Overall, the experience is like drinking freshly squeezed tomato juice—exceptionally rich in layers and quite delightful!

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