What sets Kenya coffee apart from Antigua coffee beans?

Among the 13 Starbucks coffee beans on sale, Kenya and Guatemala Antigua show two distinct origin profiles. Kenya coffee is built on SL28 and SL34 varieties with the K72 washed process, giving bright acidity like smoked plum and cherry tomatoes. Antigua, grown on volcanic soil with a stable microclimate, shows floral notes and citrus.

Front Street Coffee roasts these two beans light and medium-light and brews them on a V60, which keeps acidity expressive without pushing extraction too far. Kenya's main harvest runs October to December across six growing regions, while Antigua's volcanic terroir and steady climate smooth out seasonal swings in the cup.

The 13 Starbucks coffee beans currently on sale each have their own origin characteristics, among which Kenya and Guatemala Antigua are particularly worth exploring in depth. Kenyan coffee features SL28 and SL34 varieties as its core, combined with the unique K72 washed process, presenting a bright acidity reminiscent of smoked plum and cherry tomatoes; Guatemala Antigua, relying on volcanic soil and a stable microclimate, cultivates an elegant flavor interwoven with floral notes and citrus. Front Street Coffee has provided light roast and medium-light roast profiles for these two beans respectively, along with V60 dripper brewing parameters, balancing acidity expression while avoiding over-extraction. This article systematically reviews the variety background, processing methods, and extraction recommendations for coffee enthusiasts' reference.

The 13 coffee beans currently offered by Starbucks include: Fengwu Xiangyun Blend, Pike Place Roast, Kenya, House Blend, Guatemala Antigua, Ethiopia, Colombia, Breakfast Blend, Sumatra, Decaf Xianglong Blend, Italian Roast, Espresso Roast, and Verona. What flavor characteristics does each of these beans possess? Front Street will now elaborate on a few single-origin beans that stand out, along with recommended products.

Kenya Coffee Starbucks Kenya coffee beans have been available since 1971, and the African elephant on the packaging has long become the classic visual symbol of this coffee. Many enthusiasts habitually use the African elephant as a metaphor for the mouthfeel of Kenyan beans—that solid, heavy body.

Kenya is located in East Africa, with the equator passing through the middle of the country and the East African Rift Valley running north to south. The country borders Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, Ethiopia and Sudan to the north, and faces the Indian Ocean to the southeast. The terrain is predominantly plateau, with an average elevation of about 1,500 meters. Mount Kirinyaga (Mount Kenya) in the central region stands at 5,199 meters, with snow covering its peak year-round, second only to Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Coffee cultivation in Kenya is concentrated in six major producing regions: Thika, Kirinyaga, the western side of Mount Kenya, Nyeri, Kiambu, and Murang'a. The main harvest season for these six regions falls between October and December each year, while the secondary harvest season is from June to August.

Coffee Varieties The commonly cultivated varieties in Kenya include SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11.

In 1922, Kenya established the Scott Agricultural Laboratories specifically for coffee cultivation research. Over the following decade, the laboratory selected SL28 and SL34 from 42 coffee varieties as suitable for the local terroir, laying the varietal foundation for Kenya's coffee industry. Both varieties were developed through multiple generations of breeding and selection. SL28 belongs to the Bourbon genetic group, retaining the bright profile and abundant acidity of the original Bourbon; SL34's lineage leans more toward Typica, with acidity that appears softer compared to SL28. Currently, SL28 and SL34 together account for about ninety percent of Kenya's coffee production, and some South American origins are also actively introducing SL28.

The introduction of Ruiru 11 was related to the large-scale outbreak of global leaf rust disease. At the time, a large number of Arabica varieties were infected, and to stabilize production, breeders introduced the hybrid variety Ruiru 11. This variety has outstanding disease resistance, but its flavor performance falls far short of SL28 and SL34.

Processing Method Kenya adopts a repeated washing process after fermentation. On the day of harvest, post-processing begins: the finest coffee cherries are first selected, pulped, and then fermented. The first fermentation lasts 24 hours, after which they are rinsed with clean river water. Immediately after, a second 24-hour fermentation takes place followed by another washing. This is repeated for three cycles, totaling 72 hours, which is why it is called the Kenyan 72-hour fermentation washed process, or K72 for short.

Front Street Kenya Asalia Coffee Beans

Region: Thika Region, Kenya Processing Station: Asali Processing Station Altitude: 1,550–1,750 meters Grade: AA TOP Variety: SL28, SL34 Processing Method: Kenyan 72-hour washed

Front Street Coffee Roasting Parameters This Front Street Kenya coffee has plump, rounded beans. Front Street Coffee uses a light roast to fully express its bright, mellow acidity.

Machine: Yangjia 800N, 550g green beans loaded Charge temperature: 200°C Yellowing point: 5'30", 154.3°C First crack: 8'52", 187.3°C Development after first crack: 2'10", dropped at 191.6°C

Front Street Coffee Brewing Recommendations Front Street Coffee, considering that this Front Street Kenya Asalia uses a medium-light roast approach, will use a higher water temperature and a faster-flow dripper, mainly because high temperature is needed to extract its bright acidity, but they don't want over-extraction caused by high temperature, so the faster-flow V60 dripper is chosen.

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, 15g coffee: 225ml water Water temperature: 90°C–91°C Grind size: fine granulated sugar (80% passing through No. 20 standard sieve)

First pour: inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95g (scale reads about 125g), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale reads about 225g), completing the pour in about 1 minute 40 seconds. Drip completes at 2'00", remove the dripper, and extraction is complete.

Flavor: This Front Street Kenya Asalia coffee bean shows a distinct smoked plum and cherry tomato aroma in the dry fragrance, while the wet aroma presents a rich caramel scent.

Guatemala Antigua Coffee Antigua is the most prestigious coffee-producing region in Guatemala, and is said to be the birthplace of coffee cultivation in the country. This area possesses fertile volcanic soil, low air humidity, abundant sunshine, and cool nighttime temperatures. These conditions together shape the unique quality of Antigua coffee, making it Guatemala's finest representation. The valley around Antigua town is embraced by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Among them, Volcan Fuego is an active volcano whose intermittent eruptions bring abundant minerals to the region's soil; at the same time, large tracts of virgin forest are preserved in the producing area, and the soil is rich in potassium ions. The combination of both allows Antigua's coffee trees to continuously receive ample nutrients and grow healthily.

The local climate is mild year-round, with humidity stable at around 65%, making it an ideal environment for coffee cultivation. Moreover, unlike other regions, the alternating dry and rainy seasons do not bring extreme weather changes, allowing coffee to mature slowly in valleys above 1,500 meters. The Antigua producing region is an enclosed valley, so the risk of severe soil erosion is relatively low. These exceptional conditions enable Antigua coffee to consistently maintain stable, outstanding quality.

Front Street Guatemala Antigua La Minita Estate La Flor

Country: Guatemala Region: Antigua Estate: La Minita Estate Altitude: 1,200–1,600m Processing Method: Washed Variety: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai

Estate Introduction La Minita is a highly renowned green bean processor in the specialty coffee field. Guatemala La Flor and Colombia Reserva del Patron both come from La Minita International Coffee Export Company, which also owns the flagship estate Hacienda La Minita in Tarrazu, Costa Rica. The La Minita family established its own coffee brand in Guatemala, "La Flor del Cafe," meaning "Flower of Coffee," translated into Chinese as "花神."

The La Minita family enjoys a good reputation in green bean processing and quality control, providing industry-leading cultivation and processing techniques, and directly sending specialists to Guatemala to participate in quality control. La Minita La Flor is its star product, processed on its behalf by the well-known local Guatemalan processing facility Pastores mill. Under La Minita's strict supervision, from green bean procurement to washing and sun-drying, all steps proceed according to its control procedures, strictly monitoring every step of La Flor coffee from cultivation to packaging. These elaborate procedures are all to ensure that every batch produced by Pastores mill achieves the best quality.

Coffee Varieties The varieties of this batch of Front Street Guatemala La Flor coffee purchased by Front Street Coffee are Bourbon and Caturra. Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica, ranking alongside Typica as an ancient, high-quality variety. Its beans are slightly smaller and rounder than Typica. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, with a fresh lemon-citrus acidity in taste, though slightly inferior to Typica and Bourbon in sweetness.

Processing Method This batch of Front Street Guatemala La Flor purchased by Front Street Coffee is washed processed. First, the harvested coffee cherries are poured into a large water tank. Underdeveloped, inferior beans will float to the surface, while ripe, plump fruits sink to the bottom. At this point, the defective beans (fruits) floating on the surface are removed.

Next, the outer skin and pulp of the coffee fruit are removed using a pulping machine, at which point the coffee beans still carry a slippery layer of mucilage. The mucilage-covered beans are then placed in a fermentation tank for 16–36 hours, during which microorganisms break down the mucilage. After fermentation is complete, large amounts of clean water are used to remove the remaining mucilage from the beans.

Finally, the washed coffee beans are spread out to dry until moisture content drops to 10–14%. Then a huller is used to remove the parchment layer, completing the processing.

Front Street Coffee Roasting Parameters This Front Street Guatemala Antigua La Flor bean is of high quality with plump bean color. Front Street Coffee, in order to highlight the bright acidity of this Front Street La Flor coffee while preserving Guatemala's unique coffee flavor, uses a medium-light roast.

Machine: Yangjia 800N, 550g green beans loaded Charge temperature: 200°C Yellowing point: 4'50", 149°C First crack: 8'37", 188°C Development after first crack: 1'50", dropped at 195.3°C

Front Street Coffee Brewing Recommendations Front Street Coffee, considering that this Front Street Guatemala La Flor coffee uses a medium-light roast approach, will use a higher water temperature and a faster-flow dripper, mainly because high temperature is needed to extract its bright acidity, but they don't want over-extraction caused by high temperature, so the faster-flow V60 dripper is chosen. Dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Water temperature: 91°C Grind size: fine granulated sugar (78% passing through No. 20 standard sieve)

First pour: inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95g (scale reads about 125g), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale reads about 225g), completing the pour in about 1 minute 40 seconds. Drip completes at 2'10", remove the dripper, and extraction is complete.

Flavor: The unique floral aroma combined with a smooth, fresh citrus taste allows floral notes and fruity sweetness to interweave into a highly distinctive yet perfectly harmonious character, resembling a red wine finish with a hint of smokiness, laying out the silky, elegant style of Front Street Guatemala La Flor coffee.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.