Before the Brits introduced coffee to Kenya, it was a nation of tea-drinkers. In the 1900's, coffee production boomed from nothing to world-leading. The Kenyans seemed to live by the motto of "if you're going to do something, might as well do it properly!" This has led to them producing some of the world’s finest coffee!
Want to find out more about the history of production of Kenya coffee? Let's see how Kenya began buzzing for coffee and what its produce is like today.
A Quick History of Coffee in Kenya
Kenya took its time to latch onto the coffee hype. This is surprising considering it is so close to Ethiopia, where many believe coffee originated from. Although Kenya may have been late to the party, it quickly became a leader. They began using advanced methods of fruit removal and drying, giving it its unique taste and flavor.
The best Kenyan coffee has a bright acidity with a brilliant sweetness and a dry, slightly bitter aftertaste.
How are Kenyan Coffee Beans Made?
Kenya coffee comes from the Arabica coffee plant. Arabica is a species of coffee that originated in Ethiopia. It’s popular for its chocolatey and mildly bitter taste. However, how the plant is grown and cultivated plays a large role on how the coffee will finally taste. The conditions listed below show how they favor Arabica coffee production in Kenya.
- Soil: In Kenya, the coffee plantations are grown on rich volcanic soil in the highlands, surrounding Mt. Kenya. They are deep, fertile and have an acidic PH between 5.5 and 6.
- Temperature: Arabica coffee can tolerate temperatures up to 30 degrees. Coffee in Kenya is grown in the sun, but the cooler temperatures in the Kenyan highlands are perfect. They range between 60 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rainfall: Arabica requires an average of 1000 and 2000mm per year. Most of the coffee plantations in Kenya receive about this much rainfall and it’s evenly distributed.
- Altitude: The beans are grown above 13,000 feet in Kenya. This high altitude allows for dense, desirable beans to be grown.
The high altitude, fertile volcanic soil and warm climate create perfect conditions for growing Arabica coffee in Kenya!
To get the beans ready for roasting, you first need to pick the fruit. Then you need to remove the bean from the fruit. At this stage, the bean will still be green. It needs to be dried out in the sun and once it is fully dried it is ready for roasting.
Roasting is considered by some as an art and a science. Even a couple of seconds can make a difference to the success of your roast! Medium roast is the most popular roast for Kenya coffee. Just 15 minutes at 482 Fahrenheit should do the trick!
The beans then need to be quickly sealed in aluminium bags to maintain their freshness. Light, moisture, oxygen, and heat all effect your coffee beans, so you want to keep your beans away from them!
Most coffee from Kenya is grown on small private farms. There are hundreds of thousands of independent coffee plantations. This can make it difficult to pinpoint exactly where your coffee came from. The democratic auction system is what the coffee growers rely on to sell their beans.
This works by coffee samples being provided to bidders prior to a weekly auction. If the bidder is interested, they will bid for that batch of coffee. In all cases, the highest bidder wins, and generally, the best batch of coffee will sell for the highest price.
Classification of Kenya Coffee
Coffee grading is considered ‘an art’ by The Coffee Board of Kenya. Coffee grading is a process where the beans are assigned a grade based on their characteristics. One main characteristic to determine a beans grade is the size of the bean, but other factors such as altitude are important too.
Kenyan coffee beans are graded before they are roasted, so they will still be green at this stage. They also get classified from 10 (best) to 1 (worst) to help sort within the grade. This grading and classification process is very thorough and has helped Kenya achieve world-renown status as a coffee exporter!
Here we will take a look at the different coffee grades and their characteristics.
Kenya AA
Kenya AA is by far the most popular. It is considered not only the best Kenyan coffee but one of the world’s finest coffees! These coffee beans are grown at a very high altitude, more than 6,600 feet above sea level. Kenya AA coffee is known for its floral aroma and bright light-bodied taste. As expected this coffee usually sells for a higher price than the other grades.
Kenya AB
Kenya AB beans are usually a bit smaller than Kenya AA beans. Although it is not valued as highly as Kenya AA coffee, it is still considered a premium coffee. Around 30% of Kenyan coffee is graded Kenya AB.
Kenya PB
Kenya PB is when Peaberry beans are used. Kenya Peaberry coffee is the name for when just one bean grows alone in the coffee cherry. It’s a rare occurrence because you usually get two beans in a coffee cherry. This grade can demand a higher price because it is marketed as having the superior flavor of two beans in one.
Kenya E
Kenya E means Elephant beans have been used, and these are the largest coffee beans. Usually it is made up of two seeds that have joined together to form the seed in a single cherry.
Kenya T
Kenya T is made up of the smallest and thinnest coffee beans. It is usually made up of broken coffee beans from other grades.
So you can see that Kenya takes its coffee very seriously! Grading the beans based on their size, shape, and density gives bidders more options to choose from. It also provides the opportunity for the best coffee grades and classifications to be auctioned for the highest price! This can only be good for the coffee farmers.
The Bottom Line
So now we can see why Kenya has done extremely well in exporting coffee! The favorable climate, the thorough grading, and classification process and democratic auction system all contribute to its success.
Historically, Kenya is a nation of tea drinkers and was a major grower and exporter. It’s only in recent years that locals have started embracing a coffee culture.
Coffee drinking is becoming more popular as more cafes selling western style coffee are opening up. The coffee culture in Kenya continues to grow steadily and the demand for Kenyan coffee beans in the West shows no sign of decline!
