[Premium Recommendation] The Enthusiastic African Lady – Natural Kenya Oreti Estate French Mission

The Allure of New Flavors

New flavors are like a new romance for a barista: always full of freshness and passion. Since we can't change our partners every day, we settle for changing how our coffee tastes instead.

Because specialty coffee is seasonal, we stay connected through every channel to learn about the latest green beans of the season, so everyone can promptly move on to their "new romance." I vaguely recall that we hadn't released new green beans for some time, and many people kept asking whether anything new was available. In fact, this particular batch has been in our hands for a long time, but it is a micro-batch with such a small inventory that we were reluctant to sell it. This bean is the extremely rare FrontStreet Coffee Sun-Dried Kenya Oreti Estate French Mission Bourbon.

The Origins of French Mission Bourbon

So how exactly did the French Mission Bourbon variety come about? Many people have questions about this, so let me offer some background. Turn your attention first to Bourbon Island off the eastern coast of Africa, near Madagascar. In 1646 the island became a French colony and was named Bourbon Island to display the prestige of the French Bourbon dynasty. At the time, the only coffee found on the island was a natural low-caffeine variety called "Mauritiana," which tasted quite bitter and had basically no market appeal. It wasn't until 1715 that the French imported a mutant variety of Typica from Yemen, with smaller, rounder beans, which was cultivated locally with tremendous success. To distinguish it from the elongated Typica beans, the glory-seeking French named this variety Bourbon round bean, and so the Bourbon variety earned its name.

It wasn't until after 1900 that a French missionary introduced this variety from Bourbon Island to East and Central African countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. This is the French Mission Bourbon original variety we are discussing, which later gave rise to numerous variations, the most classic being the SL28 and SL34 varieties. FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Domen Lugati AA TOP also belongs to these SL28 and SL34 varieties.

The Exceptional Character of French Mission Bourbon

Because French Mission Bourbon is an original variety transplanted from Bourbon Island, it lacks significant disease and pest resistance, which makes its yield extremely scarce. Almost all the French Mission Bourbon we encounter is processed using the natural, or sun-dried, method, and its flavor profile is exceptionally excellent. This is a very rare FrontStreet Coffee Kenya sun-dried bean, since Kenya typically uses washed processing, and for anyone who loves exploring flavor there is truly no reason to pass up such an exceptional bean.

This FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Oreti Estate French Mission Sun-Dried Bourbon is grown on the Thika Highlands in central Kenya at an altitude of 1,700 meters. It carries a very rich lemon cream flavor along with extremely clean floral and fruity notes. Faint hints of chocolate and juniper quietly emerge from the cup. The body is excellent, and because of the natural processing, the brewed coffee brims with tropical charm - like an enthusiastic African lady whispering in your ear about the gift the African land has given her. You can savor this exquisite present from Africa to the fullest.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Natural Kenyan coffee is a rarity, and FrontStreet Coffee's natural Ethiopian lots show what the method does best in Africa. The Yirgacheffe Red Cherry is picked as fully ripe all-red fruit from the famous Yirgacheffe region and spread on raised beds to keep it away from crawling insects, dust and bacteria, with regular turning to prevent uneven heat. Natural processing demands clear skies and a long dry stretch, usually from 27 to 30 days, and the result, after a light-medium roast, adds a pronounced tropical fruit flavor and a full, sweet fermented quality on top of its elegant florals and bright acidity.

For something deeper in the same style, FrontStreet's Sidamo Huakui comes from Ethiopia and, thanks to high altitude, an outstanding growing environment, fertile soil and carefully selected ripe cherries, is paired with the region's signature natural processing and a light-medium roast. In the cup it shows light fermentation, florals, citrus and mango, turning rich and complex with honey sweetness, a cocoa note and a touch of spice, a thick body and a long finish. If you want to push the method further still, FrontStreet's Colombia Sidra is a double anaerobic natural: the whole cherries are sealed in tanks with carbon dioxide injected to displace oxygen, slowing sugar breakdown and the drop in pH so the beans gain more sweetness and complexity, then dried on beds to a stable moisture content. The cup is dense with tropical fruit aroma and layers of passion fruit, apricot, dried fruit and grape with an almond-like finish.