Le café Kenya AA

Africa is fertile ground for astonishing specialty coffees. You’re about to discover a bean that may surprise and delight you. This concentrated dose of caffeine will take you on a journey.

The Origins of Kenyan Coffee

Kenya is a direct neighbor of Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee cultivation. But coffee trees were cultivated there relatively late.

A Neighboring Country to the Birthplace of Coffee

Would you believe it? The first coffee trees probably arrived in Kenya with French missionaries, who brought Bourbon plants from Réunion Island. The first coffee trees were planted on farms near the Kenyan capital.
Coffee cultivation was initially widespread around Nairobi before the entire country embraced it. Kenya then became a model for growing, distributing, and selling its beans. Its government played a role in developing the industry, and the Nairobi Coffee Exchange organized weekly sales.

A Turning Point in Coffee Production in Kenya

After markets opened to international buyers and land became scarce in coffee-growing regions, production fell in the early 2000s, but Kenyan coffee remains highly prized. Today, an estimated 6 million Kenyans make a living directly or indirectly from the coffee economy! Nearly three-quarters of production comes from small farms, and there are thought to be at least 150,000 coffee growers in Kenya.

Kenyan Beans

Even more than elsewhere, Kenyan beans are graded by size, an important factor in determining their quality. Several factors determine a bean’s quality. Its size and the size of its fragments determine its density and therefore its flavor profile. Like other coffee-producing countries, Kenya has its own grading system. At the top of the scale is Grade AA, the most sought-after grade among craft roasters. Some adjust their roast to the nature of the beans to achieve a perfect balance. The SCA gave this bean a score of 82/83.

An African Coffee in Our Selection

This AA coffee has a very distinctive flavor and story for us. Its differences have become its strength, and Thomas helped make it famous.

The Rise of the First Product Line

It’s important to understand how we created Les Torréfacteurs Français. In 2015, Grégoire, the manager, bought a small 3 kg electric roaster to supply beans to his new brewery. He soon came up with the idea of offering customers at his restaurant single-origin AA coffees, and especially of approaching small gourmet food shops in Rouen. The company got off to a modest start: burlap sacks filled the brewery’s storeroom, the first product line featured nine different beans, and Grégoire struggled to manage both businesses. He realized that to grow his coffee business and raise its profile, he had to make a big splash!

Kenya, Thomas’s Favorite Bean

Thomas, a friend, works in sales and is interested in roasting. He is between jobs and available to approach bars and grocery stores. After hiring him, Grégoire took a chance and signed up for the 2016 Salon Gourmand de Rouen. In three days, the two friends served samples of more than 1,200 coffees and sold hundreds of bags. Things were underway, and several industry professionals got in touch. Thomas loves Kenyan coffee and promoted it throughout the event. Despite having a huge stock, he managed to share his passion for this nectar, and by the end of the weekend, they were completely sold out of Kenya AA!

What Makes This Cup Special

If you love bold cups like Thomas does, you’ll love Kenya AA! When this bean hits your palate, it immediately delivers an intense burst of aromatic pleasure. Such a lively cup can be surprising for people who are used to classic coffees. Acidic coffees don’t often appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy these flavors, you’ll want to introduce Kenya AA to your friends and family. Kenyan beans are a little more demanding to roast and are unlike any other. Their earthy aroma is especially distinctive as the coffee cools.

Our other African coffees:

• Moka Sidamo from Ethiopia
• Tanzania AA
• Kalico from Burundi