How Does Kenya's Coffee Industry Grade Its Beans?

Kenya grades coffee by bean size and quality into AA+, AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T, and exporters add cup-testing grades TOP, PLUS, and FAQ for AA and AB. French missionaries brought coffee in 1893; the Coffee Ordinance followed in 1933 and the auction system in 1934.

On varieties, SL28 comes from Bourbon and SL34 from Typica, both known for complex flavor and strong sweetness. The K72 washed process runs three 24-hour fermentation rounds for a 72-hour cycle, giving bright acidity and a clean mouthfeel. Front Street Coffee's Asali AA TOP uses this method.

Kenya is located in the equatorial zone of East Africa, with the Great Rift Valley running through the entire country. The central highlands and volcanic soil provide an ideal terroir for specialty coffee. From the introduction of coffee by French missionaries in 1893, to large-estate cultivation during the British colonial period, to the passage of the Coffee Ordinance in 1933, the establishment of the auction system in 1934, and the agricultural act in the 1950s that granted farmers land-use rights, Kenya gradually built up its own coffee industry. Its grading system is based on bean size and quality, divided into AA+, AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T; exporters also add cup-testing grades TOP, PLUS, and FAQ for AA and AB. In terms of varieties, SL28 and SL34 are representative, the former originating from Bourbon and the latter from Typica, with complex flavors and prominent sweetness. In terms of processing, K72 washed processing forms a 72-hour cycle through three rounds of 24-hour fermentation each, bringing bright acidity and a clean mouthfeel. Front Street Coffee's Asali AA TOP comes from the Asail processing plant in the Thika region, using SL28 and SL34 with K72 washed processing, presenting notes of cherry tomatoes, smoked plums, berries, citrus, and green tea.

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, with the equator passing through its center and the Great Rift Valley running north to south. The country borders Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Its terrain is mainly highlands with an average elevation of about 1,500 meters, and Mount Kenya in the central highlands reaches 5,199 meters. In terms of climate, most of Kenya has a tropical savanna climate, with annual maximum temperatures of about 22-26°C and minimum temperatures of about 10-14°C. The equatorial location, high-altitude terrain, and volcanic soil work together to make this a high-quality origin for specialty coffee.

Kenyan Coffee History

Although Kenya neighbors Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, its coffee industry started relatively late. In 1893, French missionaries first brought coffee to Kenya; during British colonial rule, coffee was planted on large estates, and the beans produced were mainly shipped to London. The Coffee Ordinance was passed in 1933, and the Coffee Board was subsequently established, returning coffee sales to the Kenyan government. After that, the government vigorously promoted the coffee industry: in 1934, an auction system was established to increase coffee revenue, and this system is still in use today; afterward, a draft coffee quality grading system was formulated to improve cultivation quality. By the 1950s, an agricultural act was passed, giving farmers land-use rights so they could become self-sufficient and increase their income.

Kenyan Grading

For both domestic sales and exports, Kenya uses the same grading system. This system uses coffee bean size and quality as indicators, with clear regulations, and is divided into AA+, AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T. Strict grading helps ensure coffee bean quality.

In addition, for AA and AB green coffee beans, the Kenya exporters and green coffee merchants association adds cup-testing result grades (not official national grades), in order: TOP, PLUS (+), and FAQ. Using green bean and roasted bean cupping as indicators, they score the coffee beans across three dimensions: acidity, body, and flavor, with each item scored from 1 to 3. For example, if the three scores are all 1-1-1, it belongs to the TOP grade.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

The coffee varieties grown in Kenya include K7, Ruiru 11, Batian, and the SL series, among which SL28 and SL34 are better known. In the late 1930s, the Kenyan government commissioned the former Scott Agricultural Laboratories (now the National Agricultural Laboratories) to select 42 varieties and study their yield, quality, drought resistance, and disease resistance. SL stands for Scott Laboratories, and SL34 and SL28 are among them. In the end, these two varieties were found to perform well in both quality and flavor, but they are susceptible to coffee diseases.

In later genetic testing, SL28 was confirmed to originate from the Bourbon variety, while SL originates from Typica. These two beans are relatively similar in flavor, both having complex and varied acidity and excellent sweetness. In terms of mouthfeel, SL34 is softer and cleaner.

K72 Washed Processing Method

In terms of processing, Kenyan coffee mainly uses washed processing, but Kenya's washing method is rather special. After coffee farmers harvest the fruit, they first sort out high-quality fruit, remove the skin, and place it in a washing tank for 24 hours of soaking and fermentation; after completion, it is washed clean, part of the pectin is removed, and after changing the water, it is fermented again for 24 hours. This cycle is repeated 3 times, totaling 72 hours, and finally it is dried. Therefore, this processing method is called Kenyan 72-hour fermentation washed processing, or K72 for short. Using this processing method allows the coffee beans to ferment for a long time at low temperatures, making the acidity brighter, the mouthfeel cleaner, and the flavor full enough.

Front Street Coffee Kenya Asali AA TOP Coffee Beans Region: Thika Region Estate/Processing Plant: Asail Processing Plant Altitude: 1,550-1,750 meters Varieties: SL28, SL34 Processing Method: K72 Washed Processing Flavor: Cherry Tomato, Smoked Plum, Berry, Citrus, Green Tea

The Kenya Asali coffee beans sourced by Front Street Coffee use the SL28 and SL34 varieties and also adopt K72 washed processing. Front Street uses a V60 and brews at 1:15; after brewing, it smells of ripe tomato and floral notes, and on the palate there are flavors of cherry tomato, smoked plum, and citrus, with bright acidity, a clean mouthfeel, and a slight tea-like note.

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