Kenya AA Plus | Fully Washed Single-Origin Coffee from the Slopes of Mount Kenya
Pairs well with
Kenya AA Plus Fully Washed Single-Origin Coffee
A lot of roasters get into specialty coffee because of a cup from Kenya, and this lot is a great reminder of why. It's big, bright, and full of character, with notes of wine, peach, and lime and a lively acidity is apparent from the very first sip.
What does "AA Plus" mean?
Kenya grades its coffee by bean size, and AA is the largest grade, made up of beans that sit on a 17/18 screen. "Plus" takes it a step further. These beans meet the same size standard as AA, but they're also selected for cup quality, not just size. Larger, denser beans roast more evenly, and in Kenya they tend to show that classic blackcurrant and citrus character most clearly.
Where it comes from
This coffee comes from Kenya's open auction system, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. The auction is transparent and quality is graded openly. Because of that, Kenyan farmers consistently earn strong prices compared to many other origins. It's an atypical way to buy coffee, but it works really well.
Most of it is grown in the hills around Mount Kenya, where rich volcanic soil plays a big role in the flavor. The farms here are very small, so small they're usually measured by number of trees rather than acres. That scale allows farmers to pick with real care, harvesting only ripe cherries and delivering them to the local wet mill the same day. Those mills have plenty of water available, which is what makes Kenya's careful washing process possible in the first place.
Kenya AA Plus Fully Washed Single-Origin Coffee Tasting Notes
Details & Notes
- Flavors: Wine, Peach, Lime
- Origin: Mount Kenya region, Kenya
- Elevation: 1,600 MASL
- Varieties: SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru 11
- Process: Fully Washed
- Drying: Mechanical dryer
- Harvest: October
- Roast: Medium-Light
- Acidity: High
- Body: Above average
- Sweetness: High
Flavor Profile & Tasting Notes
Expect wine, peach, and lime with high acidity, above-average body, and plenty of sweetness to balance it all out. A bright, fruit-forward cup with the depth Kenyan coffees are known for.
A word on the varieties
SL28 and SL34 are well-known varietals. They were selected in Kenya in the 1930s and are a big part of what people mean when they say a coffee tastes "Kenyan." Batian and Ruiru 11 are newer, disease-resistant varieties developed to help protect these farms from coffee leaf rust. It's common for Kenyan lots to include all four, and that mix is part of what gives these coffees so much depth.
How We Roast It
We roast this one medium-light. A coffee with this much acidity rewards a patient roast, so we stretch out the Maillard phase to build sweetness underneath, then keep development short so the peach and lime stay front and center. It's the same approach we use on our 33 Blend to keep things bright and sweet, and it lets all the care that went into this coffee at the wet mill come through in your cup.
Our Pour Over Recipe for the Kenya AA Plus
Pour Over (Hario V60)
- Coffee: 22 g whole bean
- Water: 350 g (a 1:16 ratio)
- Temperature: 205 °F (Kenyan coffees handle the heat well)
- Grind: Medium, about a 7 on our shop Mahlkönig or a 5 on a Fellow Ode at home
- Gear: Hario V60, paper filter, kettle, grinder, scale, timer
- Water quality: A gallon of distilled water plus a Third Wave Water packet
Instructions
- Heat your water to 205 °F.
- Grind 22 g of coffee to a medium grind.
- Rinse the filter thoroughly with hot water and discard the rinse water.
- Add the grounds and gently shake the brewer to level the bed.
- Start the timer and pour 50 g of water to fully saturate the grounds. Bloom for 45 seconds.
- At 0:45, pour to 150 g total. Let it drain until 1:30.
- At 1:30, pour to 250 g total. Let it drain until 2:10.
- At 2:10, make your final pour to 350 g total and let it draw down.
Total brew time should land around 3 to 3½ minutes. If the cup tastes a little sharp, try grinding slightly coarser or lowering the water temperature by five degrees.
Recipe summary: 22 g · 350 g · 205 °F · bloom 50 g for 45 s · pours at 0:45 to 150 g, 1:30 to 250 g, 2:10 to 350 g
These are just starting points for you! Your water and equipment will impact the end product. Experiment and find what works best for you.
You can read more about why washed coffees taste the way they do in our post on washed, natural, and honey processing.