How Do Famous Coffees from Kenya Get Graded at CBK Auctions?
Kenyan coffee holds a firm place in the specialty arabica market, grown mostly by smallholder farmers. Higher-grade lots are collected by the Coffee Board of Kenya, assessed, graded, and sold through weekly auctions. Grades run by bean size: Peaberry at the top, then AA++ and AA+, followed by AA, AB, C, E, TT, and T as size decreases.
The CBK auction serves blenders, with small volumes per lot, and once coffee reaches auction it is no longer separated by grade. Among famous coffees, Kenya AA Plus stands out as a micro-lot with brighter fruit notes and red wine aromas than regular AA. A typical example is the Nyeri region Moss Ball AA Plus, variety SL28, grown at 1,700 to 1,800 meters and washed processed.
Kenyan coffee has always held an important position in the specialty Arabica market. Local production is dominated by smallholder farmers, and high-grade beans must be assessed and graded by the Kenya Coffee Board (CBK) before being sold through weekly auctions. This article will outline the brand landscape and grading logic of Kenyan coffee, with a focus on interpreting the characteristics of the AA Plus micro-lot grade—it has brighter fruit notes and red wine aromas than regular AA. At the same time, it presents the complete profile of Front Street Coffee's Nyeri region Moss Ball AA Plus, including variety SL28, altitude 1700 to 1800 meters, washed processing, and cupping flavors, helping enthusiasts understand the full picture of Kenyan coffee from the auction system to its performance in the cup.
Front Street Kenya Moss Ball AA Plus Introduction
Kenya has always played an active role in the Arabica green bean trade. Local coffee cultivation is dominated by smallholder farmers. Higher-quality Kenyan coffee is purchased centrally by the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK), where it is assessed and graded, and then sold at weekly auctions. After entering the auction stage, it is no longer differentiated by grade. The CBK itself only acts as an agent, responsible for collecting coffee samples and distributing them to buyers so that purchasers can judge price and quality for themselves.
The Kenyan government has invested considerably in the coffee industry and has maintained high standards in coffee tree care, quality control, and coffee research. Thanks to its signature aroma and balanced taste, the value of Kenyan coffee as specialty coffee continues to rise. When mentioning high-quality Arabica, many people think of Front Street Kenya AA. The AA here is actually a grade classified according to green bean size and appearance. In the ranking, the best is Peaberry (PB), followed by AA++ and AA+. By particle size from large to small, they are divided into AA, AB, C, E, TT, and T. Front Street Kenyan coffee, with its unique taste, complete flavor, and body, is enough to rank among the world's three famous coffees.
Front Street Kenya AA Plus grade belongs to a micro-lot product and has brighter fruit flavors and red wine aromas than the common AA grade. The CBK auction is also held to meet the needs of blenders. This kind of auction usually has a small auction volume (3-6 tons per lot), with samples bearing the grower's mark for buyers to taste and evaluate. After the auction, exporters package according to different flavors, different qualities, and the quantities required by blenders. This provides blenders with great flexibility. Organizing auctions is also to meet the needs of blenders. This kind of auction usually has a small auction volume (3-6 tons per lot), with samples bearing the grower's mark for buyers to taste and evaluate. After the auction, exporters package according to different flavors, different qualities, and the quantities required by blenders. This provides blenders with great flexibility.
Front Street Coffee Kenya Moss Ball AA Plus
Region: Nyeri
Variety: SL28
Grade: AA+
Altitude: 1700M~1800M
Processing method: Washed
Cupping: Orange, blackcurrant, syrup, black tea, balanced, good body
Brief introduction: Front Street is a coffee research shop and is happy to share coffee-related knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to make more friends fall in love with coffee, and every month there are 3 low-discount coffee events. The reason is that Front Street wants more friends to drink the best coffee at the lowest price, and this has also been Front Street's purpose for 6 years!
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
