Kenya Bean Roasting Method Kenya Coffee Hot Water Pour-Over Extraction Method Parameters

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Geographic and Climate Overview

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, with the equator crossing through its central region. 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 predominantly plateau, with an average elevation of 1,500 meters. Kenya has diverse climate patterns, with the entire territory situated in the tropical monsoon zone. Coastal areas are hot and humid, the highlands have moderate climates, and mountains above 3,500 meters sometimes experience snowfall. The highest annual temperature reaches 26°C, while the lowest is 12°C. Areas south of the equator mainly feature tropical forest and savanna climates; coastal regions have tropical climates with high temperatures and year-round rainfall; moving inland, the climate becomes increasingly arid, with northern desert and semi-desert areas covering approximately 56% of the country. Due to the influence of monsoon climate, Kenya lacks distinct temperature-based seasons, with only rainy and dry seasons.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Most of Kenya's coffee is grown at altitudes between 1,300-2,000 meters, with average temperatures ranging from 15-24°C and annual precipitation reaching 900-1,200 mm. The high-altitude plateau regions near Mount Kenya provide the optimal growing environment for coffee, including the Aberdare Mountains, Nyanza, Kisii, Bungoma, Kericho, and Nakuru areas. The Arabica varieties cultivated in these regions were originally introduced from Ethiopia.

Premium Growing Regions

Coffee produced in central Kenya yields the highest quantity and quality in the country. Coffee from western regions such as Kisii, Trans-Nzoia, Keiyo, and Thika in the south is also beginning to gain attention.

Signature Varieties

As early as the 1930s, Kenya developed the SL28 and SL34 varieties through the Scott Laboratories screening process, promoting their cultivation nationwide. Due to their exceptional berry-like acidity, these varieties were later introduced to some Central American estates. The champion bean of the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence two years ago was a SL28 and Geisha variety.

Since then, Kenya has been vigorously developing varieties resistant to leaf rust disease. Ruiru11 was the first successful variety recognized by the Kenya Coffee Committee, which can be understood as Kenya's version of Catimor. When FrontStreet Coffee cup-tested Kenyan coffee beans mixed with Ruiru11, the flavor profile showed slightly less sweet and sour notes with a hint of complexity. This demonstrates that varieties have a significant impact on flavor.

Distinctive Processing Methods

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the bright acidity in Kenyan coffee is inseparable from Kenya's characteristic washed processing method—the K72 washing process. In a normal washing process, beans are soaked in fermentation tanks for 24-48 hours before drying. However, Kenya's process involves first a 24-hour washing fermentation, followed by cleaning off detached mucilage, then fermenting in clean water for another 24 hours, followed by another cleaning and a final 24-hour fermentation, totaling 72 hours. This intensive washing process consistently controls quality and expresses bright acidity with clean sweetness.

Grading System and Flavor Profile

Regarding Kenya's coffee grading system, Kenyan coffee beans are classified by size, with AA being the best, followed by AB. The benefit of size-based classification is that after selecting varieties, larger coffee beans represent fullness and quality, making them very friendly for roasting. This ensures consistency in Kenyan coffee quality. Although we can still distinguish specific flavor differences between regions like Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and Kiambu, they generally all share the characteristic Kenyan bright acidity with cherry tomato and berry-like flavors (recognizable as Kenyan coffee from the first sip).

Brewing Recommendations

Now that we understand Kenyan coffee bean characteristics, we can develop brewing plans tailored to these beans' features. Kenya's high altitude, volcanic soil, excellent varieties, and meticulous processing create full, large beans that are relatively hard with good appearance.

Roasting Suggestions

This FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Assalia bean is full and round. To fully express its bright and rich acidity, FrontStreet Coffee uses a light roast level.

To avoid blockage during brewing, FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend excessive fine powder. You can use a high-quality grinder or a sifter to remove fine powder, with a grind size calibrated to 75% pass-through rate on a #20 standard sieve.

For water temperature, this Kenyan coffee is suitable for brewing with relatively high temperatures to bring out the coffee's fruity sweetness (cherry tomato notes). FrontStreet Coffee recommends using 93°C water temperature.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16. This Kenyan coffee has such a robust body that even when brewed to a 1:16 ratio, the concentration remains undiminished. The 1:16 brew produces a very smooth concentration with bright plum acidity complementing the sweet and sour aroma of cherry tomatoes, creating a very pleasant experience.

For coffee dose, if using a small V60 dripper, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using at least 15 grams of coffee grounds. If using a large V60 dripper, at least 25 grams of coffee grounds is recommended.

During pouring, raise the coffee bed height and minimize large circular pouring motions. This can thin the coffee bed thickness and ensure full extraction, avoiding channeling (at the edges) and blockage (at the bottom).

First, pour 30ml of water for a 30-second bloom. In the second stage, pour 120ml of water, pouring from the center outward in circles until the surface is covered with golden foam, then circle back to the center point. The coffee bed height should reach 1/2 of the short ribs.

In the third stage, pour 90ml of water using coin-sized circular motions. When all coffee liquid has dripped into the sharing pot, end the extraction. The total time should be 2 minutes (with a 10-second margin of error).

This brewing method highlights the cherry tomato aroma and sweetness of Kenyan coffee while ensuring a robust and bright plum acidity.

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