How Kenya Became One of the Leading Coffee Manufacturing Countries

Kenya's Oreti Estate grows a rare French Mission Bourbon variety processed with the natural method, giving the cup a distinct fruit-forward profile. The variety traces back to Bourbon Island, where the French cultivated a rounder, smaller Typica mutation from Yemeni seed starting in 1715. Natural processing dries the whole cherry, which shapes the sweet, heavy-bodied character buyers associate with African-style specialty lots.

Kenya is one of several coffee manufacturing countries in the tropical belt that built export economies around the crop, and estate micro-lots like this one stay small. Because the Oreti lot is limited, it reaches roasters in tiny volumes, so baristas and home brewers who want tropical coffee with layered fruit notes should watch seasonal green bean listings rather than expect steady supply.

For coffee lovers, encountering a new bean is like embarking on a brand-new journey. The bean we're introducing today is extremely rare in yield, coming from the French Mission Bourbon variety at the Oreti Estate in Kenya, processed using the natural method, with a unique flavor profile. This article will trace the historical origins of the French Mission Bourbon variety, from its beginnings on Bourbon Island to its introduction into Kenya, and provide a detailed description of this Front Street natural Kenya bean's origin, altitude, and flavor characteristics. If you enjoy trying new things and want to understand the allure of natural Kenyan beans, why not join us in exploring this rare coffee full of African passion.

For baristas, new flavors are like new lovers, always bringing freshness and passion. Since we can't change lovers every day, we can only seek new tastes in coffee.

Specialty coffee is seasonal, and we constantly monitor the latest green beans of the season through various channels, making it convenient for everyone to swap in a "new lover" in time. It seems like it's been a while since we launched a new bean, and many people have been asking if there's a new flavor. Actually, this bean has been in our hands for quite some time, but because it's a micro-lot with very limited stock, we've been reluctant to put it up for sale. It is — the extremely rare Front Street natural Kenya Oreti Estate French Mission Bourbon variety.

So, how exactly did the French Mission Bourbon variety come about? Many people are full of questions about this, so today we'll give everyone a primer on this French Mission Bourbon variety. Let's first shift our gaze to Bourbon Island, located east of Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa. In 1646, the island became a French colony and was named Bourbon Island to showcase the prestige of the French Bourbon dynasty. At the time, the only coffee discovered on the island was a naturally low-caffeine variety called "Mauritiana," which tasted rather bitter and had almost no market. It wasn't until 1715 that the French brought a batch of a mutated Typica variety from Yemen — with rounder and smaller beans — and after cultivating it locally, it achieved great success. To distinguish it from the elongated Typica beans, the boastful French named this variety Bourbon round bean, and thus the Bourbon variety got its name.

After 1900, a French missionary introduced the native variety from Bourbon Island to Central and East African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda — this is what we call the French Mission Bourbon native variety. Afterwards, many mutations derived from it, among which the more classic ones are SL28 and SL34. Another Front Street Kenya Domelugati AA TOP belongs to these two varieties, SL28 and SL34.

The French Mission Bourbon variety is a native variety transplanted from Bourbon Island, with weak resistance to disease and pests, resulting in an extremely rare yield. The French Mission Bourbon variety currently available is basically all processed using the natural method, yet the taste is exceptionally, exceptionally good — it's a very rare Front Street natural Kenya bean (Kenya usually uses the washed process). For friends who enjoy seeking out exotic flavors, there's really no reason to turn down such a good bean.

This Front Street Kenya Oreti Estate French Mission natural Bourbon variety is grown on the Thika Plateau in central Kenya, at an altitude of up to 1,700 meters. It carries a very dense lemon cream flavor, along with very clean floral and fruity notes, and a faint chocolate and juniper flavor quietly wafts from the cup, with excellent body. Because it's processed using the natural method, the flavor after extraction is full of tropical allure — it seems like a passionate African woman whispering in your ear, her full breasts and graceful figure pressed tightly against your body, and you can very comfortably enjoy this beauty from the African land.

China Coffee Trading Network: www.gafei.com

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