Kenya

Coffee atlas: Kenya

Capital: Nairobi

Population: 46.7 million

Area: 580 thousand square km

Alongside Ethiopia and Colombia, Kenya is one of the origins we get most excited about at the roastery. It exports some of the most vibrant, bright, and unique coffees in the world.

Coffee cultivation started in Kenya around 1893 with the introduction of the coffee plant by French missionaries. After unrest and a political uprising in the 1950s, coffee production began to shift from British colonial control to Kenyan control.

This shift saw a general move away from large estates to smallholders. Smallholders do not process the coffee themselves, instead bringing their harvest in to a local washing station for processing.

Kenya is well regarded for its research and development of coffee varietals and this information is often well disseminated back to the farmers, who are considered to be highly educated in the production of coffee.

As you may notice with our Kenyan coffees, they are graded (separated) by size. There tends to be an assumption that this size grading also reflects the overall quality of the coffee, though this is not always the case.

The grading is as follows:

  • E - Elephant beans, and the largest grade
  • AA - the next largest screen size (7.22mm), this grade tends to fetch the highest prices.
  • AB - The next size down which is combination of the A grade (6.8mm) and B grade (6.2mm).
  • PB - peaberries are a natural mutation in coffee where only one bean forms in a cherry rather than the usual two.

Coffee regions in Kenya:

Embu

Named after the town of Embu, also near Mount Kenya and its fertile growing conditions

Kirinyaga

This region is located east of Nyeri, and has similarly rich volcanic soils and a high percentage of smallholder producers.

Murang’a

East of Nyeri, also with rich volcanic soils and a high percentage of smallholder producers

Nyeri

Central region home to Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano that produces rich, red soil. Most commonly smallholder cooperatives. Coffee trees in this region produce two crops (the main harvest producing the higher quality lots)

Coffees from Kenya:

Kenya Kiamabara

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Flavours of plum skin, prune, blackcurrant

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

December 2015 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kiamabara online

Kenya Ichamara

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Flavours of blackberries, orange, creamy mouthfeel

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28

December 2015 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Ichamara online

Kenya Giakanja

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Flavours of pink grapefruit, strawberry, passionfruit

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

October 2015 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Giakanja online
Photo for Gathaithi

Kenya Gathaithi

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Flavours of burnt toffee, orange, cola

Body     Acidity

Washed SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

November 2023 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Gathaithi online
Photo for Kiandu

Kenya Kiandu

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Flavours of raspberry, blackberry, apple

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kiandu online
Photo for Gondo

Kenya Gondo Aa

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Flavours of grape jelly, cherry, currant

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

February 2018 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Gondo Aa online
Photo for Ngaita

Kenya Ngaita

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Flavours of blackberry, dark cherry, and cola

Body     Acidity

Washed SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

December 2020 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Ngaita online
Photo for Gitutu

Kenya Gitutu

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Flavours of burnt orange, blackberry, strawberry and port

Body     Acidity

Washed SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Gitutu online
Photo for Kiboi

Kenya Kiboi

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Flavours of effervescent blood orange and burnt toffee

Body     Acidity

Washed Ruiru 11, SL-28, SL-34

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kiboi online
Photo for Gondo

Kenya Gondo

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Flavours of Strawberry, peach, shortbread

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

December 2020 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Gondo online
Photo for Handege

Kenya Handege

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Flavours of yellow peach, berries, port

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, Ruiru 11

December 2018 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Handege online
Photo for Rinjagi

Kenya Rinjagi

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Flavours of cranberry, stewed peach, sherbert

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian, K7

December 2018 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Rinjagi online
Photo for Mwiria

Kenya Mwiria

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Flavours of raspberry, maple syrup and vanilla

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

November 2022 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Mwiria online
Photo for Kagumo

Kenya Kagumo

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Flavours of blackberry, blood orange, marmalade

Body     Acidity

Washed Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kagumo online

Kenya Kii Aa

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Flavours of strawberries, pink grapefruit, and port

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, K7, Ruiru 11

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kii Aa online
Photo for Gathaithi

Kenya Gathaithi

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Flavours of burnt toffee, orange, cola

Body     Acidity

Washed SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

December 2021 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Gathaithi online

Kenya Kii Pb

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Flavours of blood orange, pink grapefruit, and plum

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, K7, Ruiru 11

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kii Pb online
Photo for Komothai

Kenya Komothai

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Flavours of young raspberry, lime, peach

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

January 2023 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Komothai online
Photo for Gachatha

Kenya Gachatha

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Flavours of blood orange, blackcurrant, jammy

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

November 2022 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Gachatha online

Kenya Guama

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Flavours of port, raspberry sherbet, cooked rhubarb

Body     Acidity

Washed SL28, SL34

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Guama online
Photo for Kiri

Kenya Kiri

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Flavours of raspberry, red currant and brown sugar

Body     Acidity

Washed Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11

December 2022 harvest

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Kenya Kiri online