☕ Understanding Kenyan Coffee: Varieties, Grades, and Flavors at Kenya Coffee School
Kenyan coffee is globally renowned for its high quality, bright acidity, and complex flavor profile, thanks to its high-altitude cultivation, rich volcanic soil, and meticulous processing. Understanding the main varieties and the country’s unique grading system is key to appreciating its excellence.
🌿 Main Coffee Varieties (Cultivars)
Kenyan coffee is almost exclusively Arabica, with several distinct cultivars developed for local conditions.
| Cultivar | Key Characteristics | Flavor Profile Influence |
|---|---|---|
| SL-28 | Selected from Tanganyika Drought Resistant variety. Known for producing large beans and excellent cup quality. | Famous for its bright, wine-like acidity, heavy body, and notes of blackcurrant, grapefruit, and brown sugar. Often considered the gold standard. |
| SL-34 | Selected from French Mission Coffee. Thrives in high-altitude areas with high rainfall. | Often similar to SL-28 but can exhibit a slightly less complex acidity and a more pronounced citrus or clean fruit note. |
| Ruiru 11 | A hybrid variety developed for resistance to Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR). | Allows for higher yields and resistance, helping to maintain supply, though sometimes perceived as slightly less complex than the SL varieties. |
| Batian | A newer cultivar, also resistant to CBD and CLR, and known for early maturity. | Similar goal to Ruiru 11—to ensure sustainable, disease-resistant production across growing areas. |
| 📏 The Kenyan Grading System (By Bean Size) | ||
| Kenya grades its coffee primarily by physical bean size (measured by screen size), assuming that larger, denser beans grown at high altitudes take longer to mature and develop a more concentrated, complex flavor. | ||
| Grade | Screen Size | Characteristics & Flavor |
| — | — | — |
| Kenya AA | Screen 17/18 (approx. 7.2 mm) | Highest grade by size. These are the largest beans, prized for their vibrant acidity, full body, and intense, complex fruity and wine-like notes. |
| Kenya AB | Screen 15/16 | A mix of the slightly smaller A and B beans. Represents the largest volume of Kenyan coffee. Considered a premium grade, offering a bright, well-balanced cup similar to AA but often more accessible in price. |
| Kenya PB (Peaberry) | Screen 12 | A natural mutation where the coffee cherry develops only one small, rounded bean instead of two flat ones. Many enthusiasts believe this results in a more concentrated, intense, and sweeter flavor profile. |
| Kenya C | Screen 14 | Smaller and lighter beans than AB, still a good quality coffee but typically used for blending. |
| Kenya E (Elephant) | Screen 20+ | The largest beans, often resulting from two seeds fusing together (known as caracoli). |
| 🗺️ Key Growing Regions | ||
| Most of Kenya’s coffee is grown on the high plateaus surrounding the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range, where the high elevation (1,500m to 2,100m) and fertile, acidic volcanic soil create ideal conditions. |
- Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, and Kiambu: These counties in the Central region are famous for producing the finest, most sought-after coffee known for its crisp acidity, blackcurrant, and citrus notes.
- Meru and Embu: Found on the eastern side of Mount Kenya, these regions also produce high-quality coffee with excellent flavor characteristics.