Friends who frequently buy coffee beans will surely notice that most coffee bean names are followed by English suffixes such as AA and AB. This is especially true for Kenyan coffee beans—Kenya AA, Kenya AB, Kenya PB, Kenya AA+, Top, and so on. "So what do these suffixes mean? [more…]

Kenya's coffee grading system has long confused many enthusiasts—what exactly do the letters AA, AB, and PB stand for? Is AA TOP an additional grade marked outside the official classification? This article will systematically sort out Kenya's official green bean grading standards, explaining them one by one from dimensions such as bean screen size, shape, and hardness, while also clarifying non-official labels like TOP, PLUS, and FAQ that exporters add on their own. The article also uses a comparative brewing of two Front Street Kenyan AA beans to concretely present the actual differences between AA TOP and regular AA in terms of cleanliness, complexity, and sweet-acidity performance, helping readers make clearer judgments when purchasing. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is famous for its bright, juicy acidity, and labels such as AA, AB, and AA TOP are common in China. How exactly are these grades divided? Is there a substantial difference between AA and AA TOP? This article will start with Kenya's official grading system, analyze the criteria for grades such as AA, AB, PB, and E, and explain the meanings of secondary grading terms such as TOP, Plus, and FAQ set by exporters themselves. It will also introduce the K72 washed coffee beans from the Asali Processing Plant in the Thika region, which use SL28 and SL34 varieties, are AA grade, and are light-roasted by Front Street Coffee to present flavors of cherry tomato and smoked plum. [more…]

Want to understand the unique charm of Kenyan AA coffee? This article will take you deep into the Mahiga processing plant in the Nyeri region, revealing how the Othaya Farmers Cooperative Society it belongs to achieves top-tier coffee through strict quality control. From SL28 and SL34 varieties to the K72 double wash process, and on to the black plum, berry, and chocolate syrup flavors displayed in the cup, we offer a detailed analysis of this wildly distinctive Kenyan AA TOP-tier Mahiga. At the same time, Front Street Coffee’s Kenyan Cherry Tomato is a recommended product that lets you easily experience the wonderful taste of juicy texture interwoven with floral aromas. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is renowned worldwide for its bright, intense fruit acidity and full, robust body, while its grading system—AA, AB, PB, and so on—often leaves enthusiasts confused. What exactly is the difference between AA and AA TOP? Does the grading standard look only at bean size, or does it also take cup profile into account? This article sorts through Kenya's coffee history, growing conditions, variety selection, regional characteristics, grading system, and auction trading model one by one, and combines tasting examples from several Kenyan beans at Front Street Coffee to help readers clarify the real difference between AA and AA TOP. [more…]

Previously, we talked about the coffee grading in Ethiopia. Today, let's take a look at what the coffee grading in Kenya is like! After all, when we see Kenyan coffee, we will see things like AA and AB. What exactly do these refer to? What is AA TOP? [more…]

Kenya AA is globally recognized as one of the top Arabica coffees, holding an important place in the specialty coffee world. Among these, "AA" represents the grade based on green bean size, appearance, and density. Kenyan coffee is classified into 7 grades according to this standard, with AA being the highest level, meaning the largest beans and the richest oil content, capable of releasing Kenya's distinctive intense aroma. Most Kenya AA is washed-processed, presenting a refreshingly sweet fruit profile, accompanied by blackberry notes, bright and complex fruit acidity, and grapefruit aroma, while the mouthfeel has an excellent medium body, crisp and refreshing. Front Street Coffee recommends this bean as the top choice for exploring African specialty coffee. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is famous for its bright fruit acidity and clean flavor, and its grading system is based primarily on bean size and cup quality. Starting from Front Street Kenya AA TOP, this article systematically sorts out the definitions and differences of the eight major grades—E, PB, AA, AB, C, TT, T, and MH/ML—with emphasis on explaining the connection and distinction between AA TOP and AA. At the same time, combined with Front Street Kenya Little Tomato coffee beans, it provides specific parameters for hot pour-over and iced pour-over, the three-pour water-pouring method, and flavor performance, helping coffee enthusiasts understand the purchasing logic and brewing key points for Kenyan beans. [more…]

Kenyan coffee occupies a pivotal position in the global specialty coffee landscape, and its bright, uplifting acidity and rich layers of complexity have fascinated countless coffee lovers. Yet when confronted with the letter combinations such as AA, AB, and PB on Kenyan coffee bean labels, many people are not clear about what they actually mean. In fact, these designations originate from Kenya's official coffee grading system, which takes into account multiple factors such as bean size, shape, and hardness. This article will systematically sort out Kenya's complete coffee grading system, explain the specific standards for each grade, and clarify the difference between the secondary grading set by green bean traders themselves and the official grades. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will also draw on its own sourcing experience to share the roasting and brewing approach for an AA-grade Kenyan bean from the Asaliya processing station. [more…]

The results of the 2017 Taste of Harvest (TOH) East Africa competition's Kenya division have been announced. Fram Farm from the Kirinyaga production area took first place with a score of 85.3. This AA-grade auction lot was secured by Qingdao Fisher Coffee, making it another African TOH champion bean following Ethiopia's Gesha and Uganda's entries. Fram is a family-run private farm with its own washing station, and its main varieties are SL28 and SL34. This article will explore multiple angles including the farm's background, the development history of Kenyan coffee, the grading system, and the K72 washing process, along with Front Street Coffee's brewing recommendations and a flavor description of Kenyan small tomato beans, taking you through the full story behind this champion bean. [more…]

Kenya is globally recognized as one of the top coffee-producing countries, known for its bright fruit acidity and rich layers. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically reviews the growing conditions, historical context, and core varieties of Kenyan coffee—the origins and flavor characteristics of SL28 and SL34—and explains in detail the operational process of the Kenyan-style 72-hour fermentation washed processing method (K72). At the same time, the article fully presents Kenya's coffee grading system—from the definitions and differences among grades such as E, AA, AB, PB, TT, and T to unofficial grades set by exporters such as AA TOP and AB TOP. Finally, using Front Street Kenya Asali Coffee as an example, it provides roasting and brewing recommendations to help coffee enthusiasts fully understand the unique charm of Kenyan specialty coffee. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is famous for its bright fruit acidity and rich flavors, making it a favorite among many coffee lovers. But when faced with grading labels such as AA, AA+, and AB, many people feel confused. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article sorts out the development of Kenya's coffee industry, analyzes the origins and specific standards of its grading system, focuses on explaining the differences between AA grade and AA+ grade, and introduces the impact of the K72 washed processing method on flavor. At the end, it also includes the origin information and brewing parameters of Front Street Kenya Little Tomato coffee beans for daily reference. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is world-renowned for its rigorous grading system and distinctive flavor characteristics. This article systematically reviews Kenya's coffee bean size grading system, including the specific standards for common grades such as AA, AB, and PB, while also introducing flavor grading methods like TOP and PLUS. Drawing on Front Street Coffee's roasting and brewing practices, and using Kenyan Asaliya coffee beans as an example, the article explains in detail the flavor performance of AA-grade beans and suggested pour-over parameters, providing coffee enthusiasts with a complete reference from bean selection to tasting. [more…]

Kenyan coffee occupies an important position in the global specialty coffee scene thanks to its bright berry-like acidity, sugarcane-like sweetness, and juicy mouthfeel. Many consumers notice labels such as "AA," "AB," or "TOP" on coffee bags when making a purchase—but what exactly do these markings mean? This article systematically sorts out Kenya's coffee grading system, from the traditional size-based grading to the quality grading procedures established by the Kenya Coffee Research Institute, interpreting one by one the specific meanings and distinguishing criteria of grades such as AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, and T, while also explaining the origins of secondary rating labels such as TOP, Plus, and FAQ and their cupping score ranges. In addition, the article uses Front Street Coffee's Kenya Asalia AA TOP as an example to provide detailed brewing parameters and flavor descriptions, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a more comprehensive understanding of the quality logic and tasting key points of Kenyan coffee. [more…]

When selecting Kenyan coffee, what exactly do the terms "AA" and "TOP" commonly seen on packaging represent? This article systematically sorts out Kenya's coffee grading system, from the bean size grading under the 1934 auction system (AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, T, MH/ML) to the secondary quality ratings established by the Kenya Coffee Research Institute (TOP, Plus, FAQ), and analyzes the comprehensive scoring mechanism across the three dimensions of green beans, roasted beans, and cupping. It also presents the producing region information and brewing parameters of Front Street Kenya Little Tomato coffee beans, helping you understand the practical meaning behind the grading labels. [more…]

Front Street Kenya Nyeri Region Honey AA Top is a special blended lot from the 2017 new crop, washed processed. It brings together the efforts of smallholder farmers from both Nyeri and Kirinyaga counties, from a central processing factory on the high-altitude slopes of the Aberdare Mountains. The cup showcases fresh berries, caramel, pomelo aroma, and coffee berry sweetness—bright and juicy, crisp and sweet, making it ideal for pour-over. This article will guide you through the flavor characteristics of this bean and take you deep into Kenya's main origin, Nyeri, to explore the operations of the Gachatha Processing Factory. At the same time, it will sort out the planting history, common varieties, grading, and processing systems of Kenyan coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a more comprehensive understanding of this classic origin. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is famous for its clean and refreshing, solid and bright juice-like acidity, but what exactly do the commonly seen "AA," "AB," and even "AA TOP" in China represent? This article starts with Kenya's official coffee bean grading system, sorting out the size, shape, and quality differences among the eight grades AA, AB, PB, E, C, TT, T, and MH/ML, and explains that secondary grading labels such as TOP, Plus, and FAQ, which are independently set by exporters, are for reference only. It then focuses on the Thika producing region, introducing its geographical location, cultivation history, and variety structure mainly consisting of SL28 and SL34, and combines the cupping performance, light roast approach, and iced pour-over parameters of Front Street Coffee's Kenya Cherry AA-grade washed beans to present the cherry tomato, smoked plum, and snow pear-like acidity and honey sweetness of this producing region. [more…]

Kenyan coffee is famous for its bright fruit acidity and clean mouthfeel. Its grading system is government-led, based on bean size and cupping score, and classifies green beans into eight grades: E, PB, AA, AB, C, TT, T, and MH/ML. AA is the most common specialty grade, while TOP is an additional quality designation marked by coffee traders after cupping. Front Street Coffee's Kenyan Little Tomato and AA TOP are representative examples. This article provides a detailed overview of Kenyan grading standards and, combined with Front Street Coffee's own-roasted Kenyan beans, shares the specific parameters and brewing techniques for hot pour-over and iced pour-over, helping coffee enthusiasts better bring out the cherry tomato, smoked plum, and creamy sweetness of this bean. [more…]

Kenyan coffee occupies an important place in the global specialty coffee landscape thanks to its bright, lively acidity and delicate berry notes. Its distinctive flavor expression is inseparable from the government-led strict grading system. This article systematically sorts out the eight grade classifications of Kenyan coffee beans from E to MH/ML, focuses on analyzing the flavor characteristics of the top grade AA TOP, and, combined with Front Street Kenya Asaliya coffee beans, shares the specific parameters and operating steps for hot pour-over and iced pour-over, helping coffee lovers more fully experience the juicy feel and layered variations of Kenyan coffee. [more…]

Kenya, as a representative producing country of East African specialty coffee, is known for coffee beans with bright fruity acidity and a full body. This article systematically sorts out Kenya's coffee grading system, from E, AA, AB to PB, C, and other grades in terms of bean size and characteristics, and introduces the geographical advantages of major producing regions such as Nyeri and Thika. At the same time, it provides an in-depth analysis of the flavor differences among classic varieties such as SL28 and SL34, as well as Kenya's signature K72 double fermentation washing method. The article also includes the brewing parameters and flavor description of Front Street Cherry Tomato Coffee, providing coffee lovers with a complete reference from bean selection to extraction. [more…]