Introduction to Kenyan Coffee Beans - Varieties, Characteristics, Flavors, and Brewing

The Remarkable Contrast Between Kenyan and Ethiopian Coffee

Although Kenya and Ethiopia are neighboring countries in Africa, their coffee flavors are remarkably different! When it comes to Ethiopian coffee, most people immediately think of fresh flavors like citrus, flowers, and tea. But when it comes to Kenya, the characteristic flavors are dark plum, cherry tomato, and caramel—a delightful balance of sweet and sour!

Furthermore, even on a global scale, Kenyan coffee flavors are exceptionally distinctive. This uniqueness partly stems from Kenya's coffee-growing environment and climate! Conveniently, Kenya falls within the "coffee golden belt," where coffee benefits from ideal climate conditions! Kenya's coffee is primarily grown in volcanic regions at altitudes between 1,600 and 2,100 meters, stretching from the capital Nairobi to the Kenyan highlands!

Volcanic soil contains abundant trace elements that better support coffee growth! Kenyan volcanic soil, in particular, is extremely rich in phosphorus, which contributes significantly to Kenya's distinctive coffee flavors! Now that we've covered geography, let's discuss coffee varieties! After all, geography alone isn't enough—you need the right plant varieties to produce delicious coffee beans!

The Birth of Kenyan Coffee Varieties

In the late 19th century, French missionaries introduced Bourbon varieties from Réunion Island to Kenya, marking the beginning of Kenya's coffee cultivation history! Subsequently, Kent from India and Typica from Jamaica's Blue Mountain were successively introduced to Kenya. However, none of these became the creators of Kenya's legendary flavor profile—the true architects were the varieties that emerged after Bourbon and Typica.

SL28 and SL34

Recognizing that Bourbon and Typica couldn't carry the torch for Kenyan coffee development, Kenya began seeking superior coffee varieties capable of shouldering the responsibility for the industry's growth. Consequently, Kenya's coffee research center took action. Their Scott Laboratories, between 1935 and 1939, found and cultivated 42 different coffee varieties—a process that took over a decade. Ultimately, SL28 and SL34 emerged as the standout varieties from these forty-two candidates!

"SL" is an abbreviation for "Scott Laboratory," while 28 and 34 are their respective numbers, which together became their final variety names! From their appearance, we can see that one is rounder and smaller, while the other is more elliptical and larger—looking quite familiar! Unsurprisingly, after genetic pairing, it was discovered that the rounder SL28 is a Bourbon mutation, while the larger, elliptical SL34 is a Typica mutation.

Indeed, they became the champions carrying Kenya's coffee banner! With the support of Kenya's geography and unique processing methods, SL28 and SL34 not only possess exceptional acidity but also feature high-sweetness flavors of snow pear and caramel! It's fair to say that the world's favorable impression of Kenya comes from washed-processed SL28 and SL34!

But, as expected when things seem too perfect, disaster struck! In 1968, pest and disease outbreaks began ravaging Kenya! The disease and pest-resistant SL28 and SL34 suffered tremendous damage in this disaster, causing Kenya's production to drop by over half! Consequently, the Kenyan Coffee Research Center had to abandon plans to make them the main varieties and began researching highly disease-resistant varieties to combat the disaster and minimize losses. It was against this backdrop that Ruiru 11 was born!

Ruiru 11

Ruiru 11 is a completely new variety developed through the painstaking efforts of Kenyan agricultural experts. It was named Ruiru 11 because it was developed at Kenya's Ruiru Laboratory, hence the "Ruiru" prefix. The "11" doesn't mean it's the eleventh variety; rather, it signifies that it's the first variety developed by Kenyans and is a single-cross hybrid. Therefore, two "1"s were combined to make "11."

It was bred from several different varieties: Catimor, Sudan Rume, Bourbon, K7, N39, and SL28. Compared to SL28 and SL34, it possesses much higher disease resistance and significantly improved yields—all thanks to the presence of Catimor genes. Therefore, upon its release, Ruiru 11 received strong endorsement from Kenyan authorities.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't well-received by the market. Compared to the sweet and sour berry flavors produced by SL28 and SL34, Ruiru 11 only offered acidity without sweetness. Simply put: it was just sour, with no complexity beyond the acidity—this being the negative effect brought by Catimor genes. This made it difficult for Ruiru 11 to replace SL28 and SL34 as Kenya's coffee standard-bearers. With reality staring them in the face, Kenyan authorities had no choice but to continue investing in research!

Batian

By 2010, the Kenyan Coffee Research Center finally released a variety with high disease resistance, high yield, and good flavor—"Batian." This variety was named after Kenya's highest peak. It's a complex variety created by backcrossing Ruiru 11 offspring with SL28 and SL34.

In terms of flavor, it no longer possesses the negative woody and earthy tastes brought by Catimor. Instead, it features sugarcane sweetness, cherry tomato, and black plum, redefining people's perception of new varieties. Although it hasn't yet surpassed the honor brought by SL28 and SL34, FrontStreet Coffee believes that in the near future, Kenya will surely be able to cultivate new varieties that surpass these two! Let's let our taste buds "wait and see"!

Although FrontStreet Coffee currently only has one Kenyan coffee, it's composed of the renowned SL28 and SL34 varieties—"FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Asalia," processed using the K72 washed method!

FrontStreet Coffee: Kenya Asalia Coffee Beans

Region: Kenya, Thika Region

Altitude: 1,550-1,750 meters

Varieties: SL28, SL34

Grade: AA

Processing: Washed

Flavor Notes: Dark plum, snow pear, brown sugar, cherry tomato, black plum

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Dripper: V60

Water Temperature: 91-93°C

Coffee Dose: 15 grams

Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine (80% retention on Chinese standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Technique: Multi-stage extraction

Extraction Time: 2'00"-2'15"

Specific Steps: Bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds. Using a small water flow, pour in a circular motion to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. End the extraction after all the water has passed through the coffee bed (timing starts from the bloom).

When brewing, FrontStreet Coffee detects rich and dense notes of cherry tomato and dark plum in both the dry aroma and wet aroma of this Kenya Asalia coffee. The entry is full of stone fruit acidity with elegant floral notes, accompanied by a subtle caramel aftertaste. As the temperature gradually decreases, the mouthfeel becomes like snow pear juice—very sweet and smooth. The overall complexity is rich, making you want to continue drinking after each sip.

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 FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: 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