Kenyan coffees have a spectacular ability to stand out on mixed-origin cupping tables. Complexity, cleanliness and depth are what one would expect from its astonishing terroirs. So, we painted the picture of their diversity by searching for a core with the amount of data that we have at hand.
Even though Kenya is a country of incommensurable diversity when it comes to its coffees, we aimed to reflect those that Trabocca buys for its roasters. In doing so, we wanted to sketch what it is that triggers us, and ultimately wanted to share with you what we are looking for on the cupping table. We’ve kept it simple, using the data we have at hand.
That’s how we gave birth to the washed Mount Kenya profile (download it here).
The mountain itself becomes the macrocosm of terroir diversity, towering above the counties that we usually buy from Meru, Kirinyaga and Nyeri. Once again focusing on Flavor, Acidity and Mouthfeel, the dimensions we used when exploring Ethiopian taste.
The most occurring generic flavor notes and groups that appear are citrus fruit and berries. They appear in 52 and 44% of all entries, and usually do so in combination with each other as well as associated with herbal notes and stonefruit. From afar, these generic notes complement each other.
Then, more specifically, we see that citrus fruit is often associated with either lemon or lime. That’s the first layer, black currant holds a particular place in these profiles as it is the most appearing single and unique berry note in our database for this profile. When going deeper, we see a complexity unfold with notes of vanilla, strawberry and blackberry.
Acidity is a formidable player in this profile. It’s usually high, very high and bright. It gives structure to the profile while revealing the geometry of the cup. We found the character to be bright, tart and sweet with tendencies toward a salivating tanginess and vibrant texture. The types of acidity we have found are mainly citric, malic and phosphoric. And we have found these descriptors to work in combination with each other.
Typically, we see medium to thin bodies for these coffees. Often described as juicy and/or smooth when on the fuller side and silky or tea-like when a touch thinner.