Small World Foods

Kenya, an East African nation, produces over 2 million bags of coffee a year and it ranks number 17 in production world wide. Kenya Coffee has a unique, rich flavor with hardly any bitterness in it. Most of Kenya’s Arabica coffee is grown on tiny farms, averaging half an acre in size, north of Nairobi and on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Further in the west of Kenya, coffee is grown on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, near the Uganda border, including the Kenya Blue Mountain variety, which came from Jamaica. Experts say the best Kenya beans come from these areas of rich red, loamy soil at an altitude of around 4500 feet. Most coffee is grown by individual farmers on tiny plots of land, averaging half an acre, which dot the landscape. Their efforts have been consistent in producing coffee every year

The Coffee Board of Kenya established guidelines on standards for the beans. Coffees are graded after it’s milled; Kenya AA means the largest beans and AB is next in size. The theory is that the larger beans will contain more of the special oils which give coffee its aroma and flavor. While size is important, it is just one factor in determining high quality coffee. A second class system was developed to rate the quality of the beans, ranging from 1 to 10 with Class 1 being the best. This system is rarely advertised but a Kenya AA coffee could rank as low as Class 4. There has been an ongoing discussion of branding different beans based on the area where the beans are grown. At present, there are three kinds of brand, Mt. Kenya, Aberdares, and Kenyan Blue Mountain.

Until recently, all coffee was sold through an auction system which, most experts in the coffee business, say was effective and brought fair prices to the farmers. All farmers were organized into small, craft oriented, cooperative processing centers. Each day’s harvest was sorted and processed separately into small boutique lots of green coffee beans which were sold individually at auction in Nairobi. Unique, unblended lots were purchased by relatively small, high quality buyers who were willing to pay the price.

Green Mountain Coffee and Keurig Coffee now offers Fair Trade Certified Kenya AA from the Kenyan Highland Cooperatives. This is available in whole beans and also a K-Cup. Geatcoffee.com carries a Green Mountain Extra Bold Kenya in K Cups, which has won raves. Says another coffee lover, “This is my all time favorite GM coffee! Try it, you will not be sorry. Smooth to taste and hardly any bitterness. No minuses. Have tried others but will continue to go back to this one. Agrees another, “This is my first time trying this flavor and to my surprise, it tasted really good. It has a nice body to the taste and finish with a nice coffee aroma. No bad after taste or anything negative. Very good coffee and highly recommended for people who like a medium to dark roast.”

Recently, political unrest and instability has disrupted the auction market system and made it more difficult for Kenya beans to reach the world market. So when you do see Kenya in the grocery or coffee specialty shop, grab a bag or two or some boxes of K-Cups! You’ll be pleased with its rich and bold flavor!

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