Kenya Coffee: What Makes It AA+?

When you look at our coffee bins, you might notice bags marked Kenya AA or Kenya AA+. Kenya produces some of the most vibrant, fruity coffees in the world, but all these letters and grades can be a bit confusing if you just want a good cup of coffee.

Here, have a look at what those grades mean when we buy green coffee for our Roasterie.

How Kenya Grades Coffee

In Kenya, coffee is graded by bean size right after processing. The idea behind this system is that larger beans usually come from fully mature cherries, which carry more density and natural sugars.

  • AA: The largest beans from the harvest.
  • AB: Slightly smaller beans, but still great quality.
  • Peaberry (PB): A natural occurrence where a cherry grows one single, round bean instead of two flat ones.

AA is the highest official grade on the size scale.

So What About the Plus Sign?

You will not find AA+ listed as an official government grade in Kenya. It is a tag added by coffee buyers and roasters during cupping sessions.

When a batch of AA beans comes off the sample roaster and tastes far better than a standard lot, it gets that extra plus. It means the coffee has exceptional fruit sweetness, clean acidity, and great balance in the cup. It is a simple way of saying this lot stood out from the rest.

The Plant Varieties Behind the Flavour

Along with size grading, the flavour in your cup comes down to the specific coffee tree varieties grown on the farm. In Kenyan coffees, you will mostly see four names:

  • SL28 and SL34: These classic heritage varieties were selected in Kenya back in the 1930s. They are famous for giving Kenyan coffee its legendary fruit sweetness, deep blackcurrant notes, and bright acidity.
  • Ruiru 11 and Batian: These newer varieties were bred in Kenya to help small farms fight off coffee plant diseases. When grown high up in the mountains alongside SL trees, they add great structure and clean balance to the cup.

Kenyan coffees are known for being bright, sweet, and juicy. A good Kenya AA+ usually brings forward notes of blackcurrant, citrus, and sweet cane sugar, with a clean finish.

If you like coffees that are lively and full of fruit character, this is one to try.

Stop By the Shop

We roast our Kenyan coffees in small batches on our natural gas roaster to keep those sweet fruit notes front and centre.

Next time you are walking through Kensington, drop by The Roasterie. You can grab a fresh bag to take home or ask us what we are currently brewing on the counter.