Kenyan coffee: stations, varieties, and grades

The station tells part of the story

Many Kenyan bags name a washing station or cooperative receiving cherries from multiple smallholders. This can be meaningful traceability even when one estate is not named. Look for region, harvest information, and process, and ask who produced and processed the lot. A station name is not a botanical variety.

Size grades are not flavour verdicts

AA and AB are associated with screen-size grading rather than an absolute sensory ranking. An excellent AB lot may suit you better than another AA lot. Bags may list SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian, or a mixture, reflecting the plants grown by contributing farmers. Read the details together rather than selecting by the largest-looking grade.

Balance matters more than intensity

Some Kenyan coffees are known for vivid fruit-like impressions and acidity. Balanced acidity is different from a sharply under-extracted cup. For filter brewing, make small grind adjustments and record the result. Taste again as the cup cools so that sweetness and finish can inform your judgement alongside the first impression of brightness.