What Makes Kenya Coffee Beans So Distinct in the Cup?

Starbucks has sold Kenya coffee since 1971, and the elephant on its packaging has become a recognizable symbol. The beans come from Kenya, are double washed, grow around 1,500 meters, and are roasted medium, selling at roughly 85 yuan per 250 grams. First-time drinkers notice the acidity: cherry tomato and prune rather than lemon.

Kenya's flavor comes from growing conditions plus varieties such as SL28, SL34, Ruiru11 and Batian, and the K72 washed method, in which cherries are fermented in stages with rinsing in between. The country's green bean grading system sorts lots by bean size and density. The strong, full-bodied acidity is often described with the elephant image, setting it apart from Ethiopia's citrus-lemon profile.

Kenyan coffee is world-renowned for its bright, intense acidity and unique flavor layers. Starbucks has offered Kenya coffee since 1971, and the elephant design on its packaging has long become a classic symbol. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically reviews Kenya's coffee-growing conditions, main varieties (SL28, SL34, Ruiru11, Batian), the K72 washed processing method, and the green bean grading system, and combines them with the roasting and brewing parameters of Front Street's Kenya Cherry Tomato coffee beans, to help you fully understand the unique charm of this African specialty coffee and provide a reference for everyday purchasing.

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Are you familiar with Starbucks' Kenya coffee? This coffee originates from Kenya, Africa, is processed using the double washed method, and is usually grown at an altitude of around 1,500 meters. Its roast level is medium, and the price is about 85 yuan per 250 grams.

People trying Kenyan coffee for the first time are often struck by its distinctive flavor—the acidity resembles cherry tomatoes and prunes, standing out notably, and the overall quality is superb. Starbucks also has a Kenya coffee from Kenya. What exactly are its characteristics? Below, Front Street Coffee will explore them with you one by one.

Introduction to the Story of Starbucks Kenya Coffee

As is well known, Kenya is located in Africa, and when people think of Africa, what first comes to mind is often the vast savanna and herds of elephants. For this reason, the packaging of Starbucks Kenya coffee features the elephant design, which is highly symbolic of Africa. At the same time, this Kenya coffee has a long release history, having been launched in 1971, and the elephant image on the packaging has long become an iconic symbol of Kenyan coffee.

For this reason, many people use the African elephant to describe the flavor of Kenyan coffee beans—a strong and full-bodied acidity, completely different from the citrus-lemon acidity of Ethiopia. This is also one of the reasons why Kenyan coffee can stand alongside Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe and jointly carry the banner of African coffee. Next, Front Street Coffee will share exactly what factors create such an excellent flavor in Kenyan coffee.

Growing Conditions in Kenya's Coffee-Producing Regions

Front Street Coffee has often mentioned in previous articles that the flavor performance of a coffee bean mainly depends on the growing conditions of the producing region, the coffee bean variety, and the processing method. Among these, the producing region and variety are the innate conditions that determine the direction of the flavor, while the processing method is like a means of elevating the flavor of the coffee beans. Therefore, Front Street Coffee will now analyze the formation of Kenyan coffee's flavor characteristics around these three points.

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, with the equator crossing its center and the East African Rift Valley running north to south. It borders Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, Ethiopia and Sudan to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. Highlands are widespread across the country, with an average altitude of about 1,500 meters. Mount Kirinyaga (Mount Kenya) in the center has an altitude of 5,199 meters, with snow on its summit year-round, making it the second-highest peak in Africa. The equator passes through Kenya, and the country lies precisely within 10 degrees north and south latitude, belonging to a tropical producing region. There are two rainy seasons each year, allowing two harvests: 60% concentrated from October to December, and the other 40% from June to August.

According to Front Street Coffee's understanding, Kenyan coffee mostly grows in the fertile, loose, acidic volcanic red soil of the highlands north and east of Nairobi. There is abundant sunlight and good drainage, with altitudes between 1,400 and 2,000 meters. The higher the altitude, the greater the temperature difference between day and night, and the longer the maturation cycle of Kenyan coffee compared with low-altitude producing regions. Therefore, the beans have higher density and a more intense flavor.

From the above content by Front Street Coffee, it can be seen that Kenya's coffee-producing regions are indeed very suitable for growing coffee beans. With such exceptional natural conditions, the coffee beans produced are naturally high quality. In addition, Kenya's main coffee variety is Arabica, which is praised as one of the best-quality coffee varieties in the world. One of its characteristics is that the higher the growing altitude, the richer the acidity, which is also one of the reasons why the acidity of Kenyan coffee beans is so pleasant.

Kenyan Coffee Varieties

Furthermore, the common varieties in Kenya include SL28, SL34, Batian, and Ruiru11. These varieties were all independently developed by the Kenyan coffee laboratory, which shows the Kenyan government's high regard for the coffee-growing industry. This is also one of the reasons why the acidity in Kenyan coffee's flavor differs from that of neighboring countries.

SL28

According to historical records, a senior coffee official at the Scott Laboratories (A.D. Trench) noticed that a variety growing in the Moduli area of Tanzania seemed tolerant to drought, disease, and pests. The seeds were collected and brought back to the Scott Laboratories, where their drought resistance was confirmed.

In recent years, genetic testing has also confirmed that the SL28 variety belongs to the Bourbon genetic group, so the appearance of SL28 coffee beans is also close to the Bourbon variety, being round, thick, and substantial. Through the SL28 variety, Front Street has learned that its flavor presents complex and varied acidity as well as excellent sweetness.

SL34

SL34 was originally selected from the "French Mission" (Bourbon variety) at the Loresho estate. However, according to information gathered by Front Street Coffee, genetic testing of this variety's coffee beans has now confirmed that it contains the Typica genetic group, and its plant characteristics are also similar to Typica, so SL34 is considered to have originated from Typica selection. Because it is close to the Typica variety, the coffee beans are slender and oval, appearing relatively flat from the side.

Ruiru11

Ruiru appeared after SL28 and SL34. According to Front Street's understanding, it began in the 1970s, when the Ruiru station started trying to breed different CBD- and rust-resistant varieties, and the final result was Ruiru11, released in the 1980s. It has high yield and possesses CBD and rust resistance, and seemed to become the solution to all of Kenya's coffee production problems.

Batian

The Batian variety was released by the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) on September 8, 2010, and is the newest variety offered by Kenya. It is the result of further experimentation based on the lessons learned from Ruiru11. Genetically, it is essentially selected from backcrosses of SL28 and SL34, and is also closer to SL28 than Ruiru11. This eliminated the problematic Robusta variety elements in the coffee beans, thereby improving cup quality.

Kenyan Coffee Processing Method--- K72 Washed Processing Method

In addition, Kenya is also unique in its method of processing green coffee beans, using the K72 washed processing method developed domestically. The process of this method is: after washing fully ripe coffee cherries, remove the skin, carry out dry fermentation for 24 hours, wash, carry out dry fermentation again for 24 hours, wash, and carry out dry fermentation again for 24 hours. This cycle is repeated to achieve a strong 72-hour fermentation effect; after washing, the beans are soaked in a clean water tank overnight, and drying begins early the next morning on the drying yard. Because the fermentation time is as long as 72 hours, it is named K72.

Kenyan Coffee Bean Grading System

From the description above by Front Street Coffee, coffee lovers have already learned how much importance Kenya attaches to coffee. Precisely because of this, Kenya pursues coffee quality very seriously, and therefore has also implemented a coffee bean grading system. For example, AA-grade coffee beans have the highest quality. Although it is called "grading," is AA grade necessarily better tasting than AB grade? So what exactly is the grading system based on?

According to Front Street Coffee's understanding, Kenya's coffee bean grading standard is mainly based on size. The difference between AA and AB lies only in size. As for whether it tastes good, Front Street Coffee has reached the conclusion through cupping that whether AA or AB grade Kenyan coffee beans, they are both very delicious coffees. The differences in taste among producing regions may come more from factors such as region, altitude, and growing conditions. But AA and AB grade Kenyan coffee are definitely coffees with the most guaranteed quality.

As described above, these grades merely distinguish bean size, and the most famous processing method for Kenyan coffee beans is none other than the K72 washed processing method. Therefore, Kenya's highest-quality coffee beans are basically washed. Washed coffee is roughly divided into eight grades:

E: Elephant Bean, also known as Elephant ear, flat beans with a screen size above 19. AA: Screen size 17 to 18

AB: Screen size 15 to 16, accounting for most of production TT: Lighter-weight beans blown out from AA and AB grade beans by an airflow separator C: Screen Size smaller than AB/14 and below, unable to be classified as specialty grade because the size is too small. T: Lighter-weight beans blown out from C grade beans (below 14) by an airflow separator, meaning both size and density are too small to be classified as specialty grade.

PB: Peaberry, meaning round bean, classified not by size but by appearance, unrelated to flavor or weight, accounting for about 10% of total production UG: Those not meeting the above standards

Second, there is also a lower-quality natural sun-dried coffee bean grade, which is not given Kenyan-style washed processing because of its poorer quality and is generally supplied to Kenya's domestic market. This bean grade is called M'buni.

In addition, one point Front Street Coffee wants to emphasize is that this "green bean grading system," still in use today, was issued by a government agency in 1938, even 40 years earlier than the birth of the concept of "specialty coffee." So Kenya today already has new concepts for coffee bean grading standards, but the size-based grading standard is still relatively common at present.

The following is Kenya's current new coffee grading standard:

According to Front Street Coffee's understanding, when assessing coffee quality, Kenyan coffee research institutions and the local industry commonly use a coffee bean quality grading procedure formulated by the Kenyan coffee research institution, grading comprehensively according to three aspects: green bean quality, roasted bean quality, and cupping quality.

Green bean quality: The assessment items are further subdivided into green bean appearance and size, green bean color, and defects. Roasted bean quality: Subdivided into center crack condition, roasted bean condition, and defective beans. Cupping quality: Scored by acidity, body/texture, flavor, and negative defects.

Combining the scores from the three aspects, coffee beans are divided into grades 1 to 10, with grade 1 being the best and grade 10 the worst.

From the above, it can be seen that the difference between AA grade coffee beans and AB grade and PB grade coffee beans lies only in size. But overall, coffee beans with a larger screen size also have a relatively lower defect rate, so their flavor is naturally cleaner, and the price is also higher.

The above is the relevant information on Kenyan coffee beans compiled by Front Street Coffee. Front Street Coffee has also introduced a Kenyan AA grade coffee bean and a PB grade coffee bean, so now let's share them with everyone!

Front Street Coffee Kenyan Cherry Tomato Coffee Beans

Country: Kenya Region: Asali (Honey Processing Station) Altitude: 1550-1750m Variety: SL28, SL34 Processing Method: 72-hour washed processing Flavor: Snow pear, smoked plum, yellow sugar, cherry tomato, plum

Front Street Coffee Roasting Parameters Sharing

Kenya Asali Coffee Beans: These beans are plump and round. In order to fully express their bright and rich acidity, Front Street Coffee uses a light roast level.

Yangjia 800N semi-direct fire, bean charge 480g: charge when the drum temperature reaches 160°C, set airflow to 3, and heat to 120. Turning point: 1'28". When the temperature rises to 130°C, set airflow to 4. Roast until 6'00'', at 154.6°C, when the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete. When ugly wrinkles and dark patches appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly turns into coffee aroma, this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack starts at 9'28''. Keep the airflow unchanged, first crack development time 2'20'', and drop at 193.8°C.

Front Street Coffee Brewing Suggestions

Dripper: V60 or cake cup Water temperature: 91-92°C Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Grind size: fine grind (80% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve)

Brewing method: staged extraction. Use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a small stream in circles. When the water reaches 124 grams, pause for a stage. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 228 grams and stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of the bloom.) Extraction time is 1'55".

Asali Coffee Bean Flavor: The wet aroma has ripe tomato and floral notes. On the palate, there are flavors of cherry tomato and smoked plum, with bright acidity, a clean and rich mouthfeel, prominent sweetness in the middle, a juicy feel, a finish of berry aroma and yellow sugar sweetness, and green tea aroma.

Sasini Coffee Bean Flavor: It smells floral. On the palate, there is acidity of cherry tomato, citrus, and nuts. The middle has creamy aroma and brown sugar sweetness returning. The finish has cocoa and oolong tea notes. The flavor layers are relatively rich, with obvious floral notes.

The above are the flavor characteristics of these two coffee beans at Front Street Coffee. We hope it can help everyone gain a deeper understanding of relevant knowledge about Kenyan coffee, so that when choosing coffee beans from different producing regions in the future, you can avoid pitfalls.

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