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Kenya AB

Our Kenya AB grade (15/16 screen) is a slightly smaller bean than Kenya AA, and is regarded by some as an overall superior coffee. Whenever possible we prefer to stock two Kenyan offerings and our Kenya AB, like our AA+ is chosen only after our internal scoring of a number of other high grade potentials. Whether you favor the AB or the AA, the reality for many roasters is that Kenya is a perennial must-have. With regards to acidity and brightness, Kenya is widely recognized as the bar, and our Kenya AB has been selected at auction as an expertly processed, top-notch offering not to be missed. It is cooperatively produced by many small farmers growing in the central Kenyan farmlands surrounding Mt. Kenya. The individual lots are consolidated at the local mill where they undergo a stringent double fermentation method, sometimes referred to as ‘Kenyan Process,’ that accentuates its complexity. The parchment is sun dried on raised beds and transported to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange where it is graded, cupped for quality and ultimately sold at auction.

Is Kenya AB the green coffee for you?

Qualities, Characteristics
& Brew Methods

Very bright acidity, medium body. Notes of currant, black tea and a hint of blackberry.

Kenya has long been established as leader in high-grade East African arabica—its best lots are famed for their fruity, clean, complex profiles, offering balance and pronounced tasting notes of everything from berries and stone fruit to sweet citrus, rightly fetching a handsome auction price. The Nairobi Coffee Exchange auctions are a quality based payment system that functions as the nerve center of a well oiled industry built upon decades of lab-based agri-research, applied farming and a strong network of cooperatives. At the exchanges small farmers have a ‘seat at the table’ so to speak, where they can access a wide range of international buyers who have the will and capital to outbid one another in the perennial quest for a perfect cup. Truth be told, Kenya’s growers are owed much of today’s industry praise; for generations they have pushed the envelope and tested the limits of farming and processing capabilities in order to embrace advances in growing science. The main growing regions extend from the 17,000 foot, central peak of Mount Kenya all the way to the outskirts of the capital city of Nairobi to the south. Another portion of arabica farmlands lie on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, against Kenya’s western border with Uganda

The ‘Kenyan Process’ double fermentation method requires pulped cherries be twice soaked for 12 to 24 hours in fermentation tanks with additional rinsing in between. When finished the beans are separated by density by way of a water channel, removing the less dense “floaters”. The beans then undergo one final soak to reportedly promote healthy amino and fatty acid structures. Next the beans are sun-dried on raised beds under strict supervision for approximately 1 to 2 weeks until their moisture is reduced to 11–12%.

Today’s specialty industry is built on the extensive work of Scott Laboratories who developed today’s well known SL28 and SL34 varietals that are widely used throughout Kenya and many other East African coffee producing nations. From 1934 to 1963 Scott Laboratories hybridized heirloom Mokka (Yemeni Typica) and Bourbon to produce more drought and rust resistant arabica strains. To this day the Scott Labs hybrids are favored over more recent, modern rust-resistant varietals like Ruiru-11 and Batian, which are not favored by specialty purveyors due to their lack of complexity compared to the traditional crop of SL. Going back even further to the 1890’s French missionaries first introduced arabica to Tanzania shortly before migrating it north to Kenya. Around the same time (1893) Scottish missionaries introduced the Mokka varietals to Kenya as well, where over time they came to be respectively known as the ‘French Mission’ and ‘Scottish Mission’ varietals.

Coffee Origin

Mt. Kenya, Central Kenya

Small Farm Holders

4,600 – 6,500 ft (1400 - 2000m)

Feb ‐ Mar / Nov ‐ Dec

Spot Inventory

Continental, East Coast

18

Forward / Afloat Availability

No details found

Interested in ordering
Kenya AB?

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How to order

Check out our green coffee offerings. Available coffees are currently in warehouse, while forward/afloat can be contracted to receive at a later date. Samples can be sent upon request.

Set up Account

To set up your account a Credit Application and Credit Card Authorization Form must be completed. Click here to register as a customer if you don’t have an account yet.

Shipping Information & Policy

Customers can choose which warehouse location is most convenient for them and arrange for their own pickup and delivery of their coffee, or we can make these arrangements for you. Coffee is generally shipped 10 bags to a pallet.

Place Your Order

Place your order at (805) 379-5252 or email sales@vournascoffee.com using the online form. New customers are required to pay in advance with credit card or bank wire transfer prior to shipment of coffee.

Product Shipment

If the warehouse receives all the paperwork, including BOL if we handle shipping, before 11 AM PST the product usually ships out the next day.

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