Our second blog about our coffees is on our Kenyan Single Origin coffee. Again, we did some long tasting sessions among the co-founders of Moving Beans and finally settled for the following description: bright citrus / bergamot, lemongrass and rich berries. These are tastes we experienced at different times of consumption, i.e. the first impression, mid palate and the long-lasting taste.
Our Kenyan comes from an Arabica bean, a type which is exclusively cultivated at an altitude of over 2,000m on plateaus in Kenya with soil at exactly the right level of acidity and a climate that provides just the right amount of rain and sun. It yields overall a mild roast with a deliciously smooth crema and warm citrus aromas, and thus easily earns its place among the world's best coffees.
The coffee industry of Kenya is known for its cooperative system across production, processing, milling and coffee auctioning. Almost ¾ of Kenya’s coffee is produced by small-scale holders, with an estimated 150,000 coffee farmers and more than six million people directly/indirectly employed in the coffee industry. Notable coffee-growing ares are the high plateaus around Mount Kenya, the Aberdare Range, Kisii and Nyanza.
The coffee is well known for its intense flavour, full body and surprising aromas. It remains one of the most sought-after coffees in the world! If very enthusiastic, you can get it yourself from the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, where it is being traded once a week. Note that the coffee is graded after it is milled, where the largest beans with a screen size of 17 (17/64th inches) or 18 (18/64th inches) are graded AA.
At the Nairobi exchange, the coffee is packed in single bags of 60kg with bids (confusingly) made per 50kg bags, each of which could roughly fill 10,000 Nespresso-compatible capsules. Now, a AA 50kg bag sells today at the auction for roughly $350. You do the maths – and you figure out quickly than almost 2/3 of all costs are absorbed by the supply chain!
If you are interested in more stories behind our coffees, here a blog on our Colombian coffee, our decaf and our blends.
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