Single Origin - Kenya AA Lenana - Specialty Coffee

Dark chocolate, caramel with bright acidity and layers of citrus and black currant, profoundly sweet.

Roast: Dark Medium

Processing: Washed and Sun Dried

Altitude: 1500 - 1900 M.A.S.L.

Harvest: October - December

12 oz. Handcrafted Specialty Coffee

Kenya's coffee production has maintained a steadfast commitment to quality and consistency over the years, largely due to meticulous management at the washing stations. Nationwide, over 600,000 smallholder farmers are organized into Farmer Cooperative Societies (FCS). The cooperatives play a crucial role in overseeing traceability and quality control for the coffee their members contribute. These groups help ensure that each bean meets the high standards for which Kenyan coffee is renowned.

Our Lenana AB Plus is a distinguished blend of green coffee beans meticulously curated by our sister company, Taylor Winch Kenya, based in Nairobi. Sourced from Farmer Cooperative Societies (FCS) across Murang’a, Kiambu, and Kirinyaga counties, this blend is named after one of the peaks of Mount Kenya. The coffee features a combination of SL-28, SL-34, and Ruiru-11 coffee cultivars from local producers. The deep red and black volcanic soils, rich in organic matter, along with the high elevations ranging from 1,500 to 1,900 meters above sea level, enhance the development of rich flavors and natural sugars in the coffee cherries.

Washed Process Kenya Coffee

Producers handpick ripe cherries in the early morning and transport them to the wet mill, where the cherries are spread out for sorting. Clean water is poured into the de-pulper, which removes the outer fruit of the cherries between two rotating abrasive slabs. The de-pulped beans then sink into the fermentation tank, where they are left overnight to allow the mucilage to break down.

The next day, the wet mill manager checks the fermentation tanks and decides to proceed with processing based on the "feel" of the fermented parchment. As the washed beans spill into the washing channels, producers repeatedly push the coffee with wooden shunts to sort the beans by density. The denser, higher-quality beans are then left to sun dry on raised beds until they reach a moisture content of 10-12%.

Kenya Green Coffee Beans

Although Kenya and Ethiopia share a border, their coffee histories diverge significantly. French missionaries introduced coffee to Kenya in 1893, leading to the establishment of large coffee estates. Until 2006, green coffee from Kenya could only be traded through the national auction system, but new legislation has since allowed producers to sell directly to buyers, transforming the industry.

Kenya's coffee production has maintained its reputation for quality and consistency through meticulous management at the washing stations. Nationwide, over 600,000 smallholder farmers are organized into Farmer Cooperative Societies (FCS), which play a crucial role in overseeing traceability and quality control for their members.

Kenyan green coffee beans are renowned for their bold, fruit-forward flavors and complex acidity. Among the most celebrated varietals are SL-28 and SL-34, developed by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (hence, SL) in the 1930s for their drought resistance, exceptional cup quality, and high yield at elevated altitudes. Following a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968, the CBD-resistant Ruiru-11 varietal was introduced and quickly adopted nationwide. In 2010, the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) developed Batian, another resistant variety prized for its tall, hardy growth and manageability by smallholders.