Connoisseur's Cup Kenyan Coffee details the grades of Kenyan raw beans

The caffeine in different producing areas has its own subtle flavor due to the differences in microclimate. Kenyan coffee, known as the "cup of connoisseurs", is famous in the coffee industry for its rich aroma, bright and vibrant acidity, full and elegant mellowness and red wine flavor. Kenya also has a unique way of grading coffee beans. After grading beans according to the altitude of their origin, the size of beans and the defects of beans, they are graded by PB, AA++, AA+, AA, AB and so on. Their quality decreases in turn, and PB is the best coffee. At present, Kenyan coffee has many followers and extraordinary popularity in the boutique 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, mochas and Yemens 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 significant citrus and black 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. It is most famous for seven major producing areas, 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.

Kenyan coffee grade

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.

Usually Kenyan coffee is classified as follows:

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.

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

1) 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.

TT: light beans selected by 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

C,TT,T

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