Kenya AA – BCT Select – Top Lot

Description

Many of us are accustomed to Kenya coffees being organized and sold in very small volumes that correspond to one specific estate or washing station (known as “factory” in Kenya) and one specific physical prep. While single-factory lots certainly dominate the highest quality tier, coffee exports as a whole in Kenya reflect the distribution of most producing countries elsewhere: as a wide triangle, with microlots at the top and bulk volumes of various transparency and quality standards comprising the larger, more efficient shipments.

Kenya, working the way it does, means the microlot segment is proportionally large compared to other origins. But it rests upon, and interacts with, a bulk market nonetheless. Each year select bulk lots are produced with very specific physical and quality preparations, in addition to the microlot work. These coffees provide targeted profiles and roasting consistency over larger volumes and longer periods. We like to consider them tasting more like the terroir of Kenya, versus the microlots, which can be equally as tasty but often are very different from the standard profiles.

There are myriad ways to build coffees like these, and considering the assertive attributes of Kenya’s coffee as a whole, each one is naturally a little different. This AA is a combination of processed coffee from select producing groups across Kenya’s central counties.

Tasting Notes:
Good from light to dark; at light roasts it will be pretty bright and full of citrus, a little front-loaded for most, Kenyan coffees can be pretty strong. It does have a hint of a chocolate & herbal spice, but it is pretty faint. Medium roasts bring the best balance to the cup accentuating the chocolaty tones and reducing the brighter notes just a hint. Darker roasts make that classic Kenya herbal tone pop right out and are much more down the potent bakers chocolate alley. Very clean with increasing body as the roast gets darker. A great balance between citrus, floral, herbal and chocolate. Easy to change the balance of these tones by roast level – a fun coffee to play around with.

Roasting Notes: 
Kenyan coffees can be tricky to roast but not this guy – if your a classic Kenya fan, take this one light-medium to start. The best balance will be achieved at a city plus to full city.  Try drawing out the roast and take it to a full city to a few seconds into second crack for a much lower acidity cup with a very nice depth of flavors.