Variety, brand recommendation and manor of Carragoto boutique coffee beans from AA in Lauri, Kenya

For professional baristas, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

Variety, brand recommendation and manor of Carragoto boutique coffee beans from AA in Lauri, Kenya

Carol Goto

This Kenyan Karoguto AA is from the Neri region of Kenya, an amazing coffee variety that grows on a plateau 1700 meters above sea level and is grown on only small coffee estates. The use of Kenyan compound washing treatment, coupled with the local temperature difference between day and night, and Kenya's red phosphoric acid soil, make sweet and sour become the main flavor tone of Kenya.

Classification of coffee grades in Kenya

Kenya is a well-known producer based on the size of coffee beans. It is usually divided into nine grades, according to the bean type, there are PB (round beans, accounting for about 10% of the total output), in addition, there are E (elephant beans), AA, AB, C, T, TT, MH, ML according to size. The best coffee grade is bean-shaped berry coffee PB, followed by AA++, AA+, AA, AB and so on.

1) Common categories:

Hand-picked coffee fruit, picked by hand, picked out immature fruit (unripe), overripe fruit (overripe) and other defects, peeled, after about 36 hours of fermentation, placed on a metal grid for sun drying, in the processing plant to remove the seed shell (parchment), become a blue-green appearance of attractive Kenyan raw beans.

Kenya Kenya

Population: 44353000

The largest number of coffee beans are produced in central Kenya, and the best quality coffee beans also come from the central region. At present, western Kenya is also interested in growing coffee, such as Kisi Kisii, trans-Enzoya Trans-Nzoia, Keiba Keiyo, Malagua Marakwetfm region.

KIAMBU

Most of the central areas are big landlords. However, with the expansion of urbanization, a large number of large landlords find it more profitable to sell their land for urban development than to become landlords. The coffee beans in this area are named after the place where they are produced, such as Xinka Thinka, Ruilu Ruiru, Limulu Limuru and so on. Many big landlords run multinational enterprises at the same time, so farming focuses on higher yields rather than higher quality. However, there are still a small number of small farmers in this area.

Altitude: 1500-2200m

Harvest: first harvest: October-December, second harvest: June-August

Variety: SL-28, SL-34, Batian

NYERI

At the center of Neri Nyeri is the Kenyan volcano (extinct volcano). The red soil of the volcanic soil produces Kenya's best beans, so agriculture is the most important industry in the region, and coffee beans are one of its main cash crops. Compared with the big landlords, Niri is generally a small farmers' cooperative, harvesting twice a year, and high-quality beans appear in the main harvest period.

Altitude: 1200-2300m

Harvest: first harvest: October-December, second harvest: June-August

Variety: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

These beautiful raw beans are graded according to particle size (size), shape (shape) and weight (weight):

E:kenyaE, elephant beans, elephantbean,18 and above (including round beans)

AA:KenyaAA,17-18 mesh

AB:KenyaAB,15-16, which is a mixture of An and B.

Light beans selected by TT:AA and AB by airflow separator

Above PB:KenyaPB,15, round bean

CRV 12-14 mesh and PB light bean screened by air flow separator

Under 12 eyes, there are more defective beans, chopped beans and light beans.

HE: beyond the above level becomes HE (HulledEars)

2) the raw beans without official standard grading are UG (ungrade).

E,AA,AB,PB → UG1

C,TT,T,HE → UG2

(note: class An over 17 mesh (6.8mm), class B over 16 mesh (6.3mm) 18 mesh = 18cm 64 inches, 1 inch = 25.4mm)

Suggestion on practical parameters of hand punching

Hand flush Kenya AA Caro Goto: 15g powder, medium and fine grinding (small Fuji ghost tooth knife 3.5grinding), V60 filter cup, water temperature 90-91 degrees, first water injection 30g, steaming for 30s, water injection to 110g water cut off, waiting for powder bed water to half and then water injection, slow water injection until 225g water, no water at the end, ratio of water to powder 1:15, extraction time 2:12

Flavor description: strong dry and wet aroma of lemon and plum, shallow baking with floral, lemon and other amazing aromas, fresh citrus, lime, comfortable wood tone of sage, plum juice, sweet and sour candied fruit, caramel aroma at the end.

Kenyan coffee, known as the "Cup of connoisseurs" (Connoisseurs'Cup), is famous in the coffee industry for its rich aroma, bright and vibrant acidity, full and elegant mellowness and red wine flavor. Caffeine in different producing areas has its own subtle flavor due to the difference of microclimate.

Kenyan coffee is mostly grown at an altitude of 1500m, 2100m, and is harvested twice a year. Its main feature is a distinct fruit aroma, the common fruit aroma is citrus. Kenyan coffee has a multi-layered taste and juice acidity, perfect grapefruit and wine flavor, moderate mellow, is the favorite of many people in the coffee industry.

Kenyan coffee varieties

Bourbon Bourbon was first brought to Kenya for planting. In the 1950s, the then agricultural research institution ScottLaboratory selected two excellent hybrids, SL-28 and SL-34, through unremitting efforts, subverting the long-standing prejudice of artificial breeding without excellent natural varieties. SL-28 and SL-34 help Kenyan coffee to form its own unique flavor characteristics and establish a perfect reputation in the coffee industry.

According to botanists in SL laboratory, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. Among them, SL28 has a mixed pedigree of French missionaries, mocha and Yemeni Tibica. The goal of cultivating SL28 was to mass produce coffee beans with high quality and resistance to diseases and insect pests.

Although the yield of SL28 was not as high as expected, the copper leaf color and broad bean-shaped beans have great sweetness, balance and complex flavor, as well as remarkable citrus and plum characteristics. SL34 is similar to SL28 in flavor, with a heavier, fuller and cleaner finish than SL28, except for the complex acidity and great sweetness of the finish. SL34 has French missionaries, bourbon, and more Tibica ancestry. Dou looks similar to SL28, but is more adaptable to sudden heavy rain. It is these two important varieties that lead us to the unique Kenyan style: strong acidity, rich taste and beautiful balance.

Coffee growing area in Kenya

The coffee producing areas in Kenya are mainly concentrated in the plateau areas represented by Mount Mt.Kenya. Tropical climate, acid red volcanic soil provides a natural and suitable growth environment for coffee. The seven major producing areas are the most famous, including Nieri, Sika, Chiambu, Geliniya, Ruiru, Mulanga and the western side of Mount Kenya, with the main producing areas such as Nyeri and Ruiru in the middle.

Kenyan coffee processing

Large farms usually have independent treatment facilities. A large number of small farmers usually pick ripe coffee fruits by hand. Coffee picking is a labor-intensive job that requires the whole family to deploy and even hire workers during the harvest season. The fresh fruit of the picked coffee needs to be delivered in time to the cooperative-owned coffee processing plant for pulping, which may be carried by ox carts, pick-up trucks or trucks. After peeling, Parchmentcoffee is briefly kept in the cooperative's processing plant and sent to a privately owned factory for shelling treatment.

Kenya "double washing method"

The Kenyan double washing method is also known as Kenyan double washing fermentation (double fermentation).

The reason is that there are high and low layers in the washing trough. Coffee farmers usually pick out defective beans from the harvested coffee berries in the evening, remove the peel and pour the shell beans with mucus into the upper fermentation tank, or use dry bodies that do not enter the pool water to ferment, wash them with water the next morning after fermentation all night, remove most of the pectin, and carry out second-degree fermentation in the lower purification tank.

In the process of secondary fermentation, the recycled water is changed every 3 Murray 5 hours to avoid mold and odor, and then introduced into the washing ditch to remove the residual pectin.

(the picture shows the cleaning and collection steps of coffee farmers after the second washing.)

The whole process takes at least 36 hours, after which the washed shelled beans need to be soaked in a clean pool for at least 12 hours, and finally dried and dehydrated, which is several times more time-consuming than the total treatment time in Central and South America and a lot more water demand.