Kenya
Africa
Though not quite on Ethiopia’s level of coffee producing, Kenya’s terroir is prime for growing specialty coffee, and is slated to become the next big origin. Bungoma County’s mountainous landscape, rainfall, and warm average temperature make for coffee that’s as deep and complex as it is fruity and brilliantly bright. We’re excited to source from Kenya well into the future and have a front-row seat to the country’s coffee success.
Up and Coming
Coffee farmers in Bungoma County typically manage smaller lots of relatively few trees compared to Ethiopia, with an average of 200 trees each on their 25- to 250-acre farms. Don’t let their smaller size fool you, Bungoma County’s prominence in coffee is burgeoning, producing exceptional coffees like our Kenya AA. With notes of peach blossom, orange zest, and black tea, this large-bean brew is less acidic than other African coffees, which gives it wine-like brilliance.
Volcanic Mt. Elgon, though extinct, provides both Ugandan and Kenyan farmers with fertile, high-elevation soil for planting coffee. During the harvest season (October – August), coffee is picked and transported to nearby cooperative wet mills. This proximity increases farmers’ production capacity, all while being entirely traceable.
Washing and Drying
Our Kenya AA and Dark Kenya AA are wet processed and dried in the sun on raised beds. During wet processing coffee beans are soaked in water for up to 36 hours before being washed and spread out on raised beds to dry. True to African tradition, all coffees are dried on raised beds, which are specialized beds made of wood, wire, and plastic netting that promote airflow.
FRC Takes Kenya Up a Notch
We loved Kenya AA’s citrusy, floral flavor so much that we took it one step further into dark roast territory. Our Dark Kenya AA coffee is a rich and sweet dark roast with savory floral notes and balanced acidity at a deeper roast level. The body of this coffee is extra bold but also bright, allowing for the tell-tale fruit and wine-like flavors of our wet-processed Dark Kenyan coffee to shine through.
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