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)

Shop current coffees from Kenya

Previous coffees from Kenya:

Kenya Ichamara

Sold out

Delivered in 2016

from Gikaru Farmers Cooperative Society

Flavours of blackberries, orange, creamy mouthfeel

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Ichamara online

Kenya Kaguyu

Sold out

Delivered in 2020

from 850 Smallholder Producers

Flavours of winey, raspberry, toffee apple

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kaguyu online

Kenya Kiandu

Sold out

Delivered in 2019

from Mutheka Coffee Farmers Society

Flavours of raspberry, blackberry, apple

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kiandu online

Kenya Kiamabara

Sold out

Delivered in 2016

from Mugaga Farmers Cooperative Society

Flavours of plum skin, prune, blackcurrant

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kiamabara online

Kenya Gichugu

Sold out

Delivered in 2020

from Gichugu Coffee Factory

Flavours of lime, grapefruit, blackcurrant

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Gichugu online

Kenya Kii PB

Sold out

Delivered in 2018

from Rung'eto Farmers Cooperative Society

Flavours of blood orange, pink grapefruit, and plum

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kii PB online

Kenya Guama

Sold out

Delivered in 2016

from Baragwi Co Operative Society

Flavours of port, raspberry sherbet, cooked rhubarb

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Guama online

Kenya Giakanja

Sold out

Delivered in 2015

from Giakanja Farmers’ Co Operative Society

Flavours of pink grapefruit, strawberry, passionfruit

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Giakanja online

Kenya Kii AA

Sold out

Delivered in 2017

from Rung'eto Farmers Cooperative Society

Flavours of strawberries, pink grapefruit, and port

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kii AA online

Kenya Handege

Sold out

Delivered in 2019

from Handege Coffee Factory

Flavours of yellow peach, berries, port

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Handege online

Kenya Gondo AA

Sold out

Delivered in 2019

from New Kiriti Farmer's Cooperative Society

Flavours of grape jelly, cherry, currant

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Gondo AA online

Kenya Kianyangi

Sold out

Delivered in 2019

from Murue Farmers Cooperative Society

Flavours of finger lime, blackcurrant, raspberry

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kianyangi online

Kenya Kiboi

Sold out

Delivered in 2020

from 460 Smallholders

Flavours of effervescent blood orange and burnt toffee

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Kiboi online

Kenya Rinjagi

Sold out

Delivered in 2020

from Rianjagi Farmers Cooperative

Flavours of cranberry, stewed peach, sherbert

Body     Acidity

Best as black espresso/filter

Kenya Rinjagi online

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