t level since November 1994 when they averaged 153.33 US cents/lb.
Kenya – “Ngandori” & “Mikunduri” Estate Coffees
Big, bold, and juicy, Kenyan coffees are a product of their variety (SL-28 and SL-34 are the most prized), processing (there is a post-fermentation soak that can last a day or longer), and the fact that much of the coffee is grown without shade. These elements (and probably many, many others) marry to give Kenyan coffees a mouth-puckering savory-sweet characteristic that sometimes manifests as a tomato-like acidity; other times black-currant tartness. There is something almost universally tropical-tasting about good-quality Kenyan coffees, and many coffee professionals will admit that they are a favourite.
The coffee industry of Kenya is noted for its cooperative system of milling, marketing, and auctioning coffee, and for its high percentage of production from small farms. It is estimated that six million Kenyans are employed directly or indirectly in the coffee industry.
The Kenyan coffee industry is noted for its democratic auction system. In this system, samples of each lot are made available to bidders prior to a weekly auction. If a bidder is interested in a lot of coffee, they enter the auction for that lot. In this transparent auction, the highest bidder wins–no insider deals are cut. The result of this system is that generally the best lots of coffee command a higher price.
The benefit of the Kenyan auction system is that it follows government mandates that insure farmers are compensated fairly in a timely manner. This system richly rewards producers of top quality while also providing feedback that everyone may utilize for quality improvement. Given the open and transparent nature of the auction system farmers can calculate exactly what they have earned and can easily reconcile with the buyer.
AA – While it may be widely known as a type of Kenya coffee, Kenya AA is actually a grade of coffee. Beans with a screen size of 7.2 millimeters (approximately 18/64 of an inch and often referred to as a screen size of 18) are assigned the grade AA. This grade of coffee is considered a premium coffee.
We have in stock some single origin Kenya AA from the coffee estates of “Central Ngandori” and “Mikunduri” located in, County Embu where the average elevation is 5,200 feet with average annual rainfall of 1300 mm with deep red loam soils. The cherries are selectively handpicked and fully washed at the local washing station. This is the early crop milled in August.
Kencaf Importing & Distributing Inc. can provide any quantity from a single bag to multiple containers, any grade or quality, single origin blends or single origin lots… whatever your specialty coffee needs Kencaf can help.
