Specialty Coffee Kenya Coffee Flavor Floral Aroma Description | Which Brewing Method is Best for Kenya Coffee Beans?

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The bright fruit acidity of Kenyan coffee, with its gorgeous and full-bodied outstanding flavor, leaves an unforgettable impression on those who taste it. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped many coffee beans from different regions of Kenya. If high acidity is the soul of good coffee, then Kenya must be the representative of that soul! Kenyan coffee beans have another special characteristic: most coffee beans with bright acidity generally don't have a heavy mouthfeel. For example, Ethiopian beans feel clean and refreshing in the mouth, while Kenyan coffee delivers a berry juice sensation that envelops the entire palate, like tomato juice.

Kenyan Coffee Cultivation

Located in eastern Africa, the equator runs through its central region, with the Great Rift Valley extending north to south. It borders Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Ethiopia and Sudan to the north, with the Indian Ocean to the southeast. The country is mostly plateau, with an average elevation of 1,500 meters. Mount Kenya (Kirinyaga Peak) in the central region reaches 5,199 meters, with snow on its summit, making it the second-highest peak in Africa.

Kenya belongs to tropical growing regions, with two rainy seasons annually, allowing for two harvests: 60% concentrated from October to December, and the remaining 40% from June to August. Coffee is mainly grown in volcanic areas at elevations of 1,600-2,100 meters around the capital Nairobi to the Kenyan mountain region. This altitude is suitable for coffee beans to develop flavor, as the mountain temperatures are lower, growth is slower, and the aromatic components of coffee beans are fully developed, making fruit acidity more obvious and the texture harder. This crescent-shaped fertile soil coffee zone is the main production area for Kenyan premium beans.

In the wave of premium coffee, coffee varieties are considered an important factor affecting cup flavor. Kenyan coffee flavor is inseparable from the SL-28 and SL-34 coffee varieties.

SL represents Scott Labs (Scott Laboratories). In the 1930s, Scott Laboratories was commissioned by the Kenyan government to conduct research on coffee breeding and classification, attempting to find varieties that could adapt to Kenyan terroir, be suitable for large-scale cultivation, and possess commercial value. SL-28 and SL-34 are two of the many research outcomes.

Kenyan Coffee Processing

Kenyan coffee belongs to African origins, and high-quality Kenyan coffee beans are basically processed using the washed method. Delicate roasting can better reflect the local unique flavors of lemon, citrus, and grapefruit, with a refreshing taste and slight sweet and sour notes.

Kenya's unique processing method is called "double washing" or "K72" style washing, referring to two fermentations of coffee beans. Kenyan double fermentation processing flow: coffee cherries are floated and selected → pulp removal → upper layer fermentation tank fermentation for 1 night → washing → parchment beans placed in lower fermentation tank for continued fermentation for 36 hours → washing → sun drying.

The double fermentation washing tanks have high and low levels, used for the first and second washing respectively. Harvested coffee cherries, after removing defective fruits and those with insufficient density, are depulped and poured into the upper fermentation tank for fermentation, or directly undergo dry fermentation without entering the tank. The time required for fermentation depends on many factors - hotter environments ferment faster. After a period of fermentation, most pectin is removed through washing, then moved to the lower clean water tank for secondary fermentation. It's worth noting that during fermentation, circulating water needs to be replaced every few hours to prevent coffee beans from developing off-odors.

The coffee beans are washed again with water to remove residual pectin. Secondary fermentation plus rinsing takes 36 hours, but this isn't the end. If coffee beans soak too long during fermentation, negative flavors increase. Once exceeding 36-72 hours, over-fermentation can occur, producing fatty acids that cause coffee to taste too acidic. Therefore, this process takes about 12 hours or more, meaning Kenyan washing takes at least 48 hours, sometimes up to 72 hours.

Kenya's unique double fermentation washing method enhances the original acidity and cleanliness, because during the fermentation process of washed processing, the acetic acid concentration in coffee beans increases, thereby improving coffee flavor.

Kenya's unique washed processing, combined with appropriate roasting, yields very obvious berry-like flavors. Among FrontStreet Coffee's stores, a coffee from the Assarya processing plant shows very distinct blackcurrant, grapefruit, and slight cherry tomato flavors. High-quality Kenyan coffee mostly has prominent acidity with uplifting acidity quality.

For those who like berry acidity flavors, FrontStreet Coffee usually recommends their cherry tomato coffee beans. This is a classic Kenyan single-origin that not only uses K72 washing processing but is also composed of SL28 and SL34 varieties, from the locally representative high-altitude region - Thika. When FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roasting, it presents dense and full berry flavors and fragrant floral notes, along with a cherry tomato flavor that runs throughout. Therefore, it's suitable for various extraction methods.

What Types of Coffee Are Suitable for Kenyan Coffee?

As just introduced, high-quality Kenyan coffee mostly has obvious acidity, graceful berry flavors, and uplifting acidity quality, so Kenya is very suitable for coffee lovers who enjoy acidity in their coffee. Also because of the prominent acidity, Kenya is particularly suitable for making iced beverages, such as iced pour-over, iced drip, cold brew, etc.

How to Make Iced Pour-Over Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee's iced pour-over brewing approach: extract low-proportion coffee liquid (high concentration) and dilute with ice cubes.

Coffee amount: 15g, coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10, ice amount: 75g, water temperature: 92°C, grind level: medium-fine (EK43s setting 9.5, 0.85mm sieve pass rate 80%).

First, place 75g of ice cubes in the server, then pour 15g of ground coffee into the filter cup and gently level it. For the first pour, use a small water flow of 3-4ml/s to pour 30g of hot water in small circles from the center outward for a 30-second bloom. After 30 seconds, pour the second 60g of water using the same technique, being careful not to raise the liquid level too high, which can cause under-extraction. When the coffee liquid is about to dry up, pour the remaining 60g of hot water at 3ml/s flow rate, ensuring extraction time falls between 1 minute 50 seconds to 2 minutes.

The ice molds we use at home are usually mainly round and square shapes. Because they use static freezing, they are both solid ice. Under the same shape conditions, larger volumes melt slower, but correspondingly require longer freezing times. Additionally, refrozen ice has higher hardness and provides better cooling effects in coffee than freshly frozen ice just removed from molds.

For friends who like to drink iced coffee at home, FrontStreet Coffee suggests purchasing ice trays with slightly larger specifications, or individual large spherical molds, which produce more solid ice. If you're using smaller ice trays, you can remove ice cubes in advance and store them in a clean container to maintain higher hardness.

Next, pour the extracted coffee liquid over the ice cubes and shake to mix. Cover the server's lid - on one hand, this reduces the volatilization of aromatic molecules, and on the other hand, allows pouring coffee liquid without ice cube contamination.

Because iced pour-over coffee uses low-proportion extracted coffee liquid diluted with ice cubes, it starts as relatively concentrated coffee liquid with a full and substantial mouthfeel. As the ice cubes dissolve and dilute, the mouthfeel tends to become smooth and gentle, with flavors shifting from complex to refreshing.

How to Make Iced Drip Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee's iced drip method uses 60 grams of coffee powder to extract 600 milliliters of coffee liquid. Coffee-to-water ratio is 1:10. Water drip rate is about 3 drops per 10 seconds, using ice-water mixture as the water source in the upper chamber. Extraction time is about 8 hours. After extraction, place the coffee liquid in a sealed bottle and refrigerate for 48 hours.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee's cold brew method uses 50 grams of coffee powder with a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10, meaning 500g of drinking water is needed and fully mixed with the powder. Ensure it's sealed before placing in the refrigerator for 8-14 hours.

When the steeping time is up, take it out and filter the coffee grounds thoroughly with filter paper, then pour into a clean sealed bottle. If you want a more intense coffee flavor, you can place it back in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours for settling. This cherry tomato cold brew tastes refreshing and pleasant, with sweet and sour notes and slight sweetness, especially suitable for summer consumption.

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