What Does AA TOP Mean in the Kenya Coffee Grading System?
In Kenya's coffee grading system, AA marks the largest and most uniform green beans, and AA TOP sits at the top of that grade. Mahiga Factory in Nyeri, part of the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society, produces this lot from SL28 and SL34 varieties grown at an average of 1,980 meters. The cup shows plum, tea aroma, kumquat and delicate florals.
The K72 double washed process, also called Kenyan-style washing, uses repeated washing to draw out a juicy mouthfeel and clearer floral notes. Mahiga is one of 18 factories under Othaya, founded in 1956 with 250 members and now about 15,000, and it exports directly under KCCE without the NCE auction.
Want to discover the unique charm of Kenya AA coffee? This article takes you deep into the Mahiga Factory in the Nyeri region, revealing how the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society it belongs to achieves top-tier coffee through strict quality control. From SL28 and SL34 varieties to the K72 double washed process, and the dark plum, berry, and chocolate syrup flavors in the cup, we provide a detailed analysis of this wildly distinctive Kenya AA TOP-level Mahiga. Meanwhile, Front Street Kenya Small Tomato is recommended as a product that lets you easily experience the wonderful interweaving of juicy mouthfeel and floral aroma.
Have you heard of AA coffee? In Kenya's coffee grading system, AA represents the highest grade—these green beans are not only large but also uniform in size. If you want to experience an outstanding AA coffee, try Front Street Kenya Small Tomato—it uses a double washed process, also known as the K72 processing method. Through repeated washing, the juicy mouthfeel of the AA green beans is fully released, allowing us to taste clearer floral aromas and dark plum flavors.
Kenya AA TOP-Level Mahiga
(Kenya Mahiga AA TOP)
Flavor Description: Plum, tea aroma, kumquat, delicate floral notes.
Producing Country: Kenya
Region: Nyeri
Producer: Mahiga Factory
Varieties: SL28, SL34
Grade: AA TOP
Altitude: Average 1,980 meters
Processing Method: Kenyan-style washed process
Mahiga Factory is located in the renowned Nyeri region and is one of 18 water processing factories under the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society. These 18 factories include Thuti, Chinga, Mahiga, Kagere, Gatuyaini, Kamoko, Ichamama, Kiaguthu, Kiruga, Gichichi, Iriani, Gatugi, Rukira, Kiaga, Gura, Kagonye, Kamoini, Karuthi, and Gitundu. The Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society is situated in the Nyeri region, in the central highlands of Kenya within the Aberdare Range area. Founded in 1956, it is composed of 18 coffee farms (Mahiga being one of them) and is a member of the Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters. Therefore, it can export green coffee directly under the KCCE name without going through Kenya's NCE public auction.
When the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society was founded in 1956, it had only 250 members, but today it has grown to 15,000. Its office is located in the town center of Othaya in the Nyeri region. The cooperative has comprehensive hardware facilities and professional talent, enabling it to provide coffee farmers with full services from planting and fertilizing to harvesting, cupping and grading, and export marketing—almost a one-stop support system. Small coffee farmers only need to focus on growing, without worrying about other aspects.
The 18 water processing factories of the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society are widely distributed to serve members in various areas conveniently. Mahiga Factory currently has 503 members. The factory manager is appointed by the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society, and its production technology follows a set of SOP procedures, enabling stable production of extremely hard, excellent-quality coffee beans.
Few countries in the world place as much emphasis on producing high-quality coffee as Kenya, making Kenya a model among the world's coffee-producing nations. All Kenyan coffee after harvesting must be handed over to the government-established Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK) for unified collection and cupping grading. Every Tuesday, a public auction is held at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange in the capital. This government-coordinated public system has incentivized over 570,000 small coffee farmers across Kenya—as long as the quality is outstanding, it's not hard to get a good price. In fact, the Kenyan government provides much support: teaching many small coffee farmers techniques for growing good coffee, guiding nearly 300 agricultural marketing cooperatives (similar to Taiwan's agricultural production and marketing groups) in improving green bean processing, and the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK) also invests effort and educational guidance in production, quality research, sales, and even financial counseling. These efforts have created Kenya coffee's unparalleled quality and flavor charm, highly favored by coffee buyers worldwide and extremely popular in the Taiwan coffee market as well.
This batch of Kenya AA TOP-level Mahiga washed coffee has a wild, distinctive character that is truly top-tier. Its flavor features dark plum aroma, purple berry notes, and a delicate finish. The entrance has a full, rich creamy aroma with obvious sweetness, accompanied by ripe fruit fragrance. The mouthfeel is oily and enveloping, with a thick, rich, and full body, moderate acidity, and a sweet aftertaste in the latter stage. It lets you sense Kenya's unique wild aura and exhibits a strong chocolate syrup flavor.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
